| Abstract: | This work looks at the dynamic behavior of laminated carbon‐epoxy (C‐E) composites with inserted interleaf polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)‐coated material. Instrumented impact tests performed on the interleaved test samples showed significant differences in the energy absorption characteristics that could be correlated with the failure mode. It was inferred that with the introduction of small amounts of less adherent layers of material at specific locations, the load‐carrying ability decreased while the energy‐absorbing capability was found to improve considerably. These and other experimental observations are discussed in this article. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 752–761, 2002 |
