Buckling behaviors of the impacted composite plates

Abstract The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the buckling behaviors after impact of the composite plates. The increasing impact energies, which ranged from approximately 3–15 J, are performed at three different impact points of the composite plates having three different thicknesses until vicinity of the penetration threshold of specimens. After the impact tests, the effects of the different impact points, energy levels, and thickness on the buckling behaviors of the impacted specimens are investigated. Also, compared with nonimpacted specimens, the buckling loads are presented nondimensionally. As expected, the lowest critical buckling load occurs in thin plates impacted at the center point. The critical buckling loads become more stable both by increasing number of layers and in the impact points that are away from the center.