Characterization of carbon fiber polymer matrix composites subjected to simultaneous application of electric current pulse and low velocity impact

In this work, the behavior of carbon fiber polymer matrix composites subjected to electric current pulse and impact loads is studied. A new fully automated experimental setup was developed that allows for real time measurements of pulsed electric current, voltage, load, and velocity during coordinated application of a current pulse with an impact load on a carbon fiber polymer matrix composite laminates. The experimental setup included a new custom-built current pulse generator that utilizes a bank of capacitor modules capable of producing a 30 millisecond current pulse with an amplitude of up to 2500 A. The application of the peak of the current pulse was coordinated with the peak of the impact load. A series of electrical, impact, and coordinated electrical-impact characterization tests were performed on 16-ply IM7/977- 2 and 32-ply IM7/977-3 unidirectional and symmetric cross-ply carbon fiber polymer matrix composites. From the coordinated impact tests, it was found that the impact load and absorbed energy increased with the application of a current pulse on 32-ply unidirectional specimens. For 16-ply cross-ply specimens, the peak load and absorbed energy decreased slightly with the application of a current pulse due to arcing and burning evident at the edges of the 16-ply cross-ply specimens.