Impact damage on fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composite – A review

As the application of fibre-reinforced polymer composite material continue to increase day by day, so the knowledge about the impact behaviour of fibre-reinforced polymer composite structures in the areas such as automotive and aerospace is very much needed. This article attempts a comprehensive review of recent literature in the broader area of impact damage. Testing methods and standard parameters as well as discussion of important aspects such as impactor shape, weight of impactor, velocity of impact, environment in which impact takes place are presented. Furthermore, the damage area, energy absorbed, contact time and many other considerations are discussed. Finally, an effort is made to review the research work by considering all aspects related to impact on such type of composite materials.