Effects of Geometric and Material Factors on Mechanical Response of Laminated Composites Due to Low Velocity Impact

In this paper, the geometric and material parameters of Graphite/Epoxy composite laminates such as span-to-thickness ratio, out-of-plane stiffness, orthotropy, stacking sequence are considered to investigate their influence on the mechanical behavior of composite plates under a low speed impact. Investigation is performed by means of two- and three-dimensional finite element methods combined with the modified Hertzian contact law, the failure...