| Abstract: | A phenomenological observation of the damage in graphite fiber (AS4/3501-6) composite panels caused by hypervelocity impact was made in this study. The panels have a nominal thickness of 2.54, 4.83, 6.6 and 17 mm. The impacts were made with nylon and aluminum projectiles of dimension 1.75 mm (dia) × 1.88 mm (length) with velocity from 3–7.5 km/sec. It was observed that the damage in the plate was caused by multiple breakage and delamination of the laminae and matrix material. The crater or hole area in all panels are approximately 7 to 9 times the area of projectiles for the velocity range used in the testing. The area of multiple breakage and delamination of layers in the panels are much larger than the corresponding crater or hole area, and they increase with the panel thickness and impact velocity. |
