Experimental and numerical investigation of low-velocity impact behaviour in carbon fibre-reinforced composites

Composite laminates are increasingly popular in automotive structures for their exceptional properties. Compared with traditional materials such as steel, they offer superior strength-to-weight ratios, making them ideal for automotive applications. This paper presents a comprehensive study combining experimental and numerical analyses of unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepreg laminates subjected to low-velocity impacts. We examined three impact energy levels, 5 J, 15 J, and 25 J, to assess low-velocity impact damage. The widely used ABAQUS 2020 software was employed for numerical simulations, with the Hashin damage criterion applied to predict failure modes. The results showed that the stacking sequence significantly affects impact resistance and damage evolution. The highest peak load, 3137.3 N, was recorded for the [A] stacking sequence at an impact energy of 15 J. Numerical simulations using the Hashin damage model accurately predicted the experimental behaviour, with peak-load prediction errors ranging from 1.7% to 3.9%. Furthermore, stacking sequence [C] exhibited superior energy absorption at 25 J due to enhanced stress redistribution and delayed fibre failure. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of finite element modelling (FEM) for predicting low-velocity impact response and provide practical design guidelines for impact-resistant automotive composite structures.