Low velocity impact analysis and damage characterization of sandwich composite

Sandwich composites' lightweight yet robust construction makes them essential in contemporary engineering for use in structural, automotive, and aerospace applications. For performance and safety, they provide superior impact resistance and energy absorption. A sandwich composite consisting of GFRP as face sheets, a hexagonal honeycomb core of PVC foam is considered. The present work is to analyse the contact force history, damage induced in the constituents, energy absorption, and effect of impactor mass on the composite damage in a sandwich composite subjected to low velocity impact testing by developing a simulation model. The effect of the mass of the impactor on damage initiation and propagation through thickness and in the transverse direction of impact is discussed. The parametric evaluation for the history of force, energy absorption, damage, and failure modes are carried out.