Effect of Nylon-66 nano-fiber interleaving on impact damage resistance of epoxy/carbon fiber composite laminates

Sixteen -ply quasi -isotropic composite laminates of plain and interleaved AS4/3501 -6 composite laminates clamped all around were impact tested to assess the improvement in impact resistance of composite laminate that has been interleaved by electrospun Nylon 66 nanofabric. The impact velocit y, force, and energy were ranged from 2.0 to 4 m/s, 900 to 2,100 N and 0.46 to 1.8 J, respectively. Based on this preliminary study, results showed that ; polymer nanofabric interleaving marginally increased the laminate thickness, by less than about 2%. This change will unlikely to cause significant loss of inplane stiffness and strength of the composite compare to the particle toughened/interleaved comp osites, polymer nanofabric interleaving increased the threshold impact force (the force to cause initiation of impact damage) by about 60%, reduced the rate of impact damage growth rate to one -half with impact height and reduced impact damage growth rate f rom 0.115 mm2/N to 0.105 mm2/N with impact force, this work focused on low energy impact (maximum energy used was 1.72 J). It will be interesting to study how nanofabric interleaved laminate behaves during medium and high energy impacts events, and finall y, the concept has merit for more detailed study to optimizing and to multifunctionalize fiber reinforced composite laminates .