Low-velocity impact testing of electrified composites: Part II - Experimental setup and preliminary results

An experimental technique has developed to study the effects of introducing an electric current on the impact response of composite plates. The study is composed of a two part series concerned where the first part was concerned principally related to the electrical contact of a composite coupon with copper electrodes. The second part is focused on the impact testing setup and report some preliminary experimental results. For initial study of the impact response of electrified composite plates, the GRC 8120 Drop Weight Impact Test Machine was used. A smaller mass impactor and a new drop weight impact test were designed in order to investigate material response to higher impact velocities. The obtained experimental results allow to conjecture that the maximum load capacity sustained by unidirectional carbon fiber polymer matrix composite plates during the impact increases in the presence of the DC electric current applied to the plates.