DYNAMIC CRUSH TESTS OF ENERGY-ABSORBING LAMINATED COMPOSITE PLATES

For the first time, dynamic crush data of edgewise-loaded composite pl ates are presented. A crush test fixture for flat composite specimens, initially developed to measure quasi-static crush response, has been adapted for use in a drop tower to measure dynamic crush response. The influence on energy absorption of stacking sequence, trigger mechanis m and thickness was evaluated for three material systems: APC-2 (graph ite/thermoplastic), AS-4/3502 (graphite/epoxy) and a hybrid AS-4-Kevla r 49/3502. Energy absorption of APC-2 plates crushed under quasi-stati c loading conditions is significantly higher than for the other two ma terial systems. There was dramatic reduction in energy absorption for APC-2 plates crushed at dynamic loading rates (5 to 7 m s(-1)), with o nly slight reductions for the others.