Static and High Strain Rate Compression Response of Thick Section Twill Weave S-2 Glass/Vinyl Ester Composites Manufactured by Affordable Liquid Molding Processes

Abstract

Fiber reinforced composites, due to their higher specific strength and specific stiffness, are replacing many metallic structures. Of these, thick composite laminates are of high interest in various, millitary, transportation and marine applications for their use in ballistic and shock protection. One such application is in Composite Armored Vehicle (CAV) integral armor comprising of thick section composite that serves as the primary load-bearing component. The current solution of the structural backing laminate utilizes an S2-glass/epoxy system processed using automated fiber placement method. While proven structurally suitable, this method is time consuming as well as expensive. This paper presents several alternative cost-effective manufacturing solutions for fabricating composite laminates of 20 mm (0.8 in.) nominal thickness (made of 45 layer, 2 × 2 twill weave S2-glass with 933 sizing/vinyl ester C-50 resin), consisted with them CAV application in focus. They include Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) and Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Modeling (VARIM) and their variations. The effectiveness of different affordable processing approaches adopted in fabricating the structural laminate is compared in terms of static and dynamic compression response of the laminations. Static studies have been conducted on thick composites using specimen based on Army Material Technology Laboratory’s (AMTL) recommendation for thick section composites, while dynamic response is studied on cubic specimen samples using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB).