Experimental Investigation on Low-velocity Impact and Compression After Impact Properties of Three-dimensional Five-directional Braided Composites

The low-velocity impact and compression after impact (CAI) properties of three-dimensional (3D) five-directional carbon fiber/epoxy resin braided composites were experimentally investigated. Specimens prepared with different braiding angles were tested at the same impact energy level. Residual post-impact mechanical properties of the different configurations were characterized by compression after impact tests. Results show that the specimens with bigger braiding angle sustain higher peak loads, and smaller impact damage area, mainly attributes to a more compact space construction. The CAI strength and damage mechanism are found to be mainly dependent on the axial support of the braiding fiber tows. With the increase of braiding angle, the CAI strength decreases, and the damage mode of the composites is changed from transverse fracture to shear failure.