Influence of process and material parameters on impact response in composite structure: methodology using Design of Experiments

Even if the mechanical performances of composite materials give new perspectives for the aircraft and space design, the variability of their behavior, linked to the presence of initial microscopic defects or led in service, constitute however a still important brake in their development. As regards particularly the response to fatigue loads or ageing, the behavior of these materials is affected by several sources of uncertainties, notably on the nature of the physical mechanisms of degradation, which are translated by a strong dispersion in life time. In aerospace industry, low energy impact phenomenon is not well known concerning composite materials and composite structures. Many manufacturers use important safety factors to design structures. The aim of this work is to define the most predominant parameters which permit a good response of damage using experiences plans. The differences of these parameters by using Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) or Liquid Resin Infusion (LRI) process than prepreg one is also studied in this work.