Understanding the failure envelope of glass fiber at different strain rates: Strength and Toughness studies
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The mechanical performance of composite materials under dynamic loading is a critical area of study for applications subjected to varying strain rates, such as in aerospace, automotive, and defense industries. This research delves into the development and characterization of the failure envelope and fracture toughness for a glass fiber woven material, assessing its behavior across different strain rates. Our study employs a combination of experimental methods and numerical simulations to investigate the strain rate sensitivity of the composite material. Universal testing machines and split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments provide empirical data, while finite element analysis (FEA) aids in the data reduction methods of complex behaviours such us the fracture toughness. The experimental results reveal a strain rate dependency, with an observed increase in both tensile and compressive strengths as the strain rate escalates. Microstructural analysis post-failure highlights different failure modes, including fiber breakage, matrix cracking, and delamination, which vary with the strain rate. To perform this campaign, different specimens have been tested under tensile and compression loads on quasistatic universal machines and SHPB and the experiment has been recorded using an Ultra high speed camera in order to perform Digital Image Correlation. The results obtained allows to understand the failure envelope and its dependence with the strain rates for the material under study.