Low velocity impact on pre-loaded composite plates: A novel standard-based experimental apparatus

Despite composite materials presenting a viable design solution for structural weight savings, their low resistance to impact damage portraits a potential drawback. This work presents a study on the compressive pre-loading effects on Low Velocity Impact, LVI, for composite laminated plates. Despite the absence of a standard testing procedure accounting for pre-load effects, a test rig was designed specifically for LVI on pre-loaded plates while...