Comparative Study of Low-Velocity Impact on Carbon Fiber and Glass Fiber Composite Cylinders

Subject Areas : Analytical and Numerical Methods in Mechanical Design

Simin Dokht Rayat ¹ , Mohammad Fazel Hajikarimi ^{2 *} , Ali Rahmati ³ , Hamed Ghasemi ⁴

1 - Ako Sanat Qarn Company, Center of Technology Incubators of Qazvin Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran
2 - Department of Mechanical Engineering ,Qa.C., Islamic Azad University ,Qazvin, Iran
3 - Department of Mechanical Engineering ,Qa.C., Islamic Azad University ,Qazvin, Iran
4 - Ako Sanat Qarn Company, Center of Technology Incubators of Qazvin Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran

Received: 2024-08-15 Accepted : 2024-10-25 Published : 2025-10-15

Keywords: Low-velocity impact, Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), Hybrid composites, Composite cylinder, Analytical modeling, Energy absorption,

Abstract :

This paper presents an analytical and numerical study of low-velocity impact response in composite cylinders made of carbon fiber, glass fiber, and hybrid layups. A triangular approximation was used to model the analytical force–time history [1,2], while finite element (FE) simulations were performed using Abaqus/Explicit [7,19]. Four configurations were analyzed: carbon-only, glass-only, carbon-outside/glass-inside, and glass-outside/carbon-inside. The analytical model derives closedform expressions for impulse, contact duration, displacement, and stiffness [3,5]. Results show that CFRP cylinders exhibit higher peak forces and shorter contact durations, while GFRP cylinders undergo larger displacements and absorb more energy through deformation [4,6,23]. Hybrid specimens display intermediate responses, with stacking sequence strongly influencing the outcome [8,9,13].

Fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in aerospace, automotive, marine, and energy applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio [16]. Among these, CFRP are valued for their high stiffness but are relatively brittle and costly [1,2]. GFRP, in contrast, are cheaper and tougher but less stiff [3,4].

Cylindrical structures such as pipelines, pressure vessels, and shells are often exposed to accidental low-velocity impacts [23,24]. Understanding the comparative performance of CFRP, GFRP, and hybrids is essential for safe and optimized design. While several studies explored impact response of plates [10,12,14], fewer works addressed cylindrical shells. The present study combines analytical and numerical approaches to compare CFRP, GFRP, and hybrid cylinders.
                                            

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