Fracture toughness of CFRP laminated plates according to resin content

CFRP(carbon fiber reinforced plastic) has recently found wide use in different industries. The material, however, is very prone to damage from collision with foreign objects. This study aims at finding Ĵ-integral in mode II for CFRP laminated plates based on classical bar theory for dynamic conditions in consideration of inertia forces and eventually to finding dynamic inter-layer fracture toughness. Dynamic inter-layer fracture toughness was observed using an in-house ENF (End Notched Flexure) experimental facility using Split Hopkinson’s Bar (SHPB). Also the variation of the fracture toughness depending on different resin contents and fiber arrangement in the CFRP specimen ([0°3/90°3/0°6/90°3/0°3], [0°20], [0°5/90°10/0°5]) was observed. It was established that under both quasi-static and dynamic load conditions, the critical load and the inter-layer fracture toughness increased sharply following the extension of the resin content. Thus, it may be concluded that the resin content is the major factor determining the inter-layer fracture toughness in the CFRP laminated plate.