Damage characterization in thin-ply composite laminates under out-of-plane transverse loadings

Composite laminates with thin-ply layers are expected to exhibit superior damage resistance to the standard composite laminates. This study investigated the damage characteristics of carbon fiber/toughened epoxy thin-ply laminates subjected to transverse loadings. Quasi-isotropic laminates were prepared using both standard prepregs and thin-ply prepregs in order to examine the effect of ply thickness on the damage accumulation processes. Clear...