Abstract
In recent years, reducing the weight of aircraft is crucial for realization of the low-carbon society. Hence, carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) with lightweight and high mechanical properties have been widely applied to components of aircraft. One of the applications is a CFRP fan system of a turbo-fan engine. However, foreign object damage (FOD) by such as bird striking is one of the crucial issues in application of CFRP to the fan system. This paper presents experimental and numerical characterization of high-speed impact damage processes in CFRP laminates. First, high-speed impact tests were performed using an impact testing machine with the use of an electric heat gun. The surface and internal damages of the CFRP specimens were observed by using optical microscopy together with radiography. Numerical analysis simulation was carried out to reproduce these damages. Especially cohesive elements were inserted into all the interlayers to express the delamination. The simulation was compared with the experimental results to understand the damage evolution mechanism. The simulations were in good agreement with the experimental result.
