Three-dimensional assessment of low velocity impact damage in particle toughened composite laminates using micro-focus X-ray computed tomography and synchrotron radiation laminography

Results are presented studying the contribution of particle toughening to impact damage resistance in carbon fibre reinforced polymer materials. Micro-focus Xray computed tomography and synchrotron radiation computed laminography were used to provide a novel, multiscale approach for assessing impact damage. Thin (1mm thick) composite plates containing either untoughened or particle-toughened resin systems were subjected to low velocity impact. Damage was assessed three-dimensionally at voxel resolutions of0.7 μm and 4.3 μm using SRCL and μCT respectively; the former being an innovative approach to the laterally extended geometry of CFRP plates. Observations and measurements taken from μCT scans captured the full extent of impact damage on both material systems revealing an interconnected network of intraand inter-laminar cracks. These lower resolution images reveal that the particletoughened system suppresses delaminations with little effect on intralaminar