Scaling Effects in Carbon/Epoxy Laminates Under Transverse Quasi-Static Loading

Abstract

This paper examined the scaling of transversely loaded carbon/epoxy plates by utilizing ply-level scaling, or geometrically increasing the thickness of a ply. A scale factor of l=2 was examined in scaling from 8 to 16 ply, 16 to 32 ply, and 32 to 64 ply laminates. The laminates were loaded until a sudden drop in the recorded load occurred. The specimens were then unloaded. Force-transverse displacement data was monitored for each test. Post test inspection included measuring dent depth, delamination area as seen by xrays and cross-sectional examination. The following conclusions are drawn from this experimental study. · Static indentation measurements of maximum load, maximum deflection and delamination area were more repeatable than dent depth. · Scaled values of load and displacement from smaller specimens were greater than those from full-scale specimens. The largest differences were in scaling from 8 ply to 16 ply specimens, which had a 35% larger scaled load and 11% larger scaled displacement. 12