A study on the low-velocity impact response of laminates for composite railway bodyshells

This paper presents a study on the low-velocity impact response of woven fabric laminates for the composite bodyshell of a tilting railway vehicle. In this study, low-velocity impact tests for the three laminates with size of 100 mm × 100 mm were conducted at three impact energy levels of 2.4 J, 2.7 J and 4.2 J. Based on these tests, the impact force, the absorbed energy and the damaged area were investigated according to different energy levels and stacking sequences. The damage area was evaluated by visual inspection and C-scan measurement. The test results showed that the absorbed energy of [fill]8 laminate was highest whereas [fill2/warp2]s laminate was lowest. The [fill]8 laminate had the largest delamination area because of the highest impact energy absorption.