Low-velocity impact damage behavior of composite fan blades laminates and the effects of impact parameters
Shaowei Zhang, Qingyun Wu, Haoyu Wang, Peiyan WangPurpose
This study investigates the low-velocity impact damage behavior of representative composite laminate structures from aero-engine fan blades and evaluates the applicability of the Hashin and Puck failure criteria for predicting impact-induced damage.
Design/methodology/approach
Drop-weight impact tests were conducted on composite laminates, and impact damage was assessed using ultrasonic A-scan inspection and computed tomography (CT). Progressive damage finite element models incorporating the Hashin and Puck criteria were developed to predict the damage response. The effects of impact energy and impactor geometry on damage characteristics were also examined.
Findings
CT observations revealed localized compression and fiber crushing near the impact center, while impact-induced bending promoted matrix cracking on the rear surface. Under a 30 J impact, the experimentally measured core damage region was approximately 50 mm × 48 mm. The Hashin criterion predicted a damage region of 42 mm × 48 mm, whereas the Puck criterion predicted 54 mm × 70 mm and substantially overpredicted matrix damage. Further analyses showed that impact energy primarily affected the damage extent, while impactor geometry altered the spatial distribution of different damage modes.
Originality/value
The study provides a comparative assessment of Hashin and Puck based progressive damage models for low-velocity impact analysis of composite fan-blade laminates and clarifies the respective effects of impact energy and impactor geometry on impact damage characteristics.