Virtual assessment of a composite laminate with interleaved nanofibrous mat under impact loading

This paper deals with interleaving a nanofibrous mat between laminate plies to control the interlaminar delamination strength. In previous works, the authors tested delamination toughness and identified the cohesive zone properties of nanomats with varying fiber diameter, fiber arrangement (random, aligned), mat thickness. The results showed that, by varying those parameters, a toughening or an embrittlement of the interface can be obtained. The modification induced by the nanomat can be therefore exploited in order to tailor the interply delamination strength of the laminate. The aim of this work is to simulate the impact strength of a composite laminate with nanomodified interplies of different strength in order to maximize the impact energy absorbed by the composite, in the perspective of optimization for use in impact attenuation.