PSI - Issue 71

Gaurish S. Vaze et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 71 (2025) 395–400

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impact. The impact on the composite plate gave rise to a localised dent on the surface (Fig. 7). This localised dent indicates that the material is able to absorb energy and resist the impact velocity. The localized dent also indicates that the composite laminate was able to maintain its overall structural integrity even after receiving the impact at high velocity. This deformation observed on the specimen was similar with the deformation patterns shown by the ANSYS.

6. Conclusion The composite laminate specimen for the ballistic impact testing was made using a carbon fibre and E-glass sandwich composite using Vacuum Bagging process. The velocity of the projectile used in ballistic impact was determined experimentally and analytically. The experimental velocity was determined using a chronograph velocimeter. The experimental and analytical values of velocities are 145 and 131.91 m/s, respectively. Hence, it can be inferred that the obtained velocity values are closely aligned, confirming the reliability of the velocity estimation. The finite element analysis conducted using the Explicit Dynamics module in ANSYS showed the physical properties of the specimen under impact, such as total deformation, equivalent elastic strain, etc. The simulation results gave the total deformation of 17.8 mm and displayed the composite’s ability to resist the impact and absorb energy during experimentation. While precise experimental deformation data was not available, qualitative observations, such as dent formation on the laminate surface, aligned well with the deformation patterns displayed by the simulation. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the composite’s impact resistance and highlight its potential applicability in protective stru ctures. Future investigations could include advanced measurement techniques to capture quantitative experimental deformation values, further validating the simulation results and enhancing the applicability of these materials in real-world scenarios. Acknowledgement Authors would like to express deepest gratitude towards Supervisor, Dr. Vishal G. Salunkhe, Assistant Professor, for his patient guidance, enthusiastic encouragement, and useful critiques on this project work. Authors are grateful to the faculty of Fr. C. Rodrigues Institute of Technology, Vashi, Dr. S. M. Khot, Principal and Dr. Aqleem Siddiqui, Head of Mechanical Department for providing support. References Gower, H. L., Cronin, D. S., Plumtree, A., 2008. Ballistic impact response of laminated composite panels. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 35(9), 1000 – 1008 Naik, N. K., Shrirao, P., 2004. Composite structures under ballistic impact. Composite Structures, 66(1 – 4), 579 – 590. Nunes, L. M., Paciornik, S., d'Almeida, J. R. M., 2004. Evaluation of the damaged area of glass-fiber reinforced epoxy-matrix composite materials submitted to ballistic impacts. Composites Science and Technology, 64(7 – 8), 945 – 954. Ravishankar, K. S., Kulkarni, S. M., 2018. Ballistic impact study on jute-epoxy and natural rubber sandwich composites. Materials Today: Proceedings, 5(2), 6916 – 6923. Sheikh, A. H., Bull, P. H., Kepler, J. A., 2009. Behaviour of multiple composite plates subjected to ballistic impact. Composites Science and Technology, 69(6), 704 – 710. Sikarwar, R. S., Velmurugan, R., 2014. Ballistic impact on glass/epoxy composite laminates. Defence Science Journal, 64(4), 393 – 399. Vaidya, U. K., 2011. Impact response of laminated and sandwich composites. In Impact Engineering of Composite Structures (pp. 97 – 191). Vienna: Springer Vienna. Vignesh, S., Surendran, R., Sekar, T., Rajeswari, B., 2021. Ballistic impact analysis of graphene nanosheets reinforced Kevlar-29. Materials Today: Proceedings, 45, 788 – 793.