Effect of tow gaps on impact strength of thin composite laminates made by Automated Fiber Placement: Experimental and semi-analytical approaches

Automated Fiber Placement is currently being used to manufacture large and complex composite structures. However, the final composite products may include manufacturing defects such as gaps and overlaps, which may reduce the mechanical performance of the structure. The effect of these defects on the compression strength and also medium velocity impact loading with the impact energies of 15 J–50 J have been experimentally investigated earlier....