Microstructural Failure Mechanisms Analysis

The susceptibility of FRP composites to damage induced by impact loads presents a critical challenge, limiting their widespread utilization across industries, especially in aerospace applications. Understanding composite structures’ response to transient impact loading and devising strategies to bolster their ability to withstand dynamic forces assumes paramount importance. This chapter offers a comprehensive review of critical parameters derived from the existing body of literature that profoundly influence the impact resistance and damage mechanics of fiber-reinforced composite materials. The review begins by examining the impact velocity's role in governing various failure modes, shedding light on the crucial relationship between kinetic energy and failure mechanisms, including fiber-matrix debonding and matrix failure. Subsequently, it provides an extensive exploration of four pivotal parameters: material properties, geometric configurations, impact event characteristics, and environmental conditions. These parameters intricately shape the structural behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites when subjected to impact loading, and understanding their interplay is essential for optimizing composite performance. Fractographic characterization methods play a central role in unraveling the intricate patterns of failure, shedding light on the microscale phenomena underlying macroscopic damage. This chapter contributes to advancing the state-of-the-art in impact-resistant composite materials, emphasizing the importance of fractographic analysis. It summarizes the critical aspects discussed and outlines directions for future research endeavors, emphasizing the need for continued investigation into the most influential parameters shaping the behavior of FRP composites under impact conditions, with a particular focus on microstructural failure mechanisms.