Analytical and Numerical study of composite plates under impact loading at low velocity with different strikers

In this research the influence of the striker shape on orthotropic composite plates for states, no damage (delamination) and damaged (delamination) are studied. In the analytical method, the spring mass system is used and new analytical model for flat and conical strikers are investigated. In the numerical method, the impact of different strikers on the composite laminate is simulated by using of finite element package (AnsysLs Dyna). These studies have been done on plates made of carbon and epoxy and the sheet thickness has been investigated in the size of 2, 4 and 6 mm. The striker mass is 3 g and its velocity for each thickness is different. To investigate the effects of the striker shape, three nose shapes spherical, conical and cylindrical with flat nose are modeled. The impacting time, the displacement time history and the maximum central deflection, and the contact force for all strikers are obtained and compared with each other. The results of analytical model are good agreement with numerical simulation. According to the results, when the delamination occurs, the maximum central deflection is more than once that damage dose not occurs. According to the results, the maximum central deflection of the flat striker on for both cases, with and without delamination, is less than the other strikers, conversely, the maximum contact force is more than the other strikers.