Composite Materials

Impact Response

· The diagrams show the comparative response of Aluminum (left) and a Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (gfrp) in an axial impact test.
· The aluminum buckles and deforms plastically but the gfrp shatters as a result of the same 20 kph impact with a rigid wall.
· The GRP absorbs 55 kJ/kg vs. 25 kJ/kg for Aluminum and 20 kJ/kg for a steel sample of similar dimension.
· The impact causes the GRP to delaminate, detaching the glass mat from the polymeric matrix.

From: High Tech Report 4 (1994), Daimler-Benz Group