Dynamic fracture toughness measurements in composites by instrumented Charpy testing: influence of aging

The dynamic behavior of three different fiber fabric composite laminates was studied by testing notched specimens in an instrumented Charpy machine. The registered impact force and displacement at the specimen hammer contact point were used to evaluate Mode-I fracture energy and dynamic fracture toughness. The changes in fracture toughness due to impact velocity, crack size and stacking sequence of the specimen were investigated with different degrees of aging conditions. Aging was found to significantly affect the dynamic fracture toughness, but had less effect on the static fracture toughness.