• Composites Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.33-40
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• 2009

Fiber orientation effects on the impact surface fracture of the glass plates coated with the glass fiber/epoxy lamina layer were investigated using a small-diameter steel-ball impact experiment. Four kinds of materials were used: soda-lime glass plates, unidirectional glass fiber/epoxy layer(one ply, two plies)-coated, crossed glass tiber/epoxy layer (two plies)-coated glass plates. The maximum stress and absorbed fracture energy were measured on the back surface of glass plates during the impact. With increasing impact velocity, various surface cracks such as ring, cone, radial and lateral cracks appeared near the impacted site of glass plates. Cracks in the plate drastically diminished by glass fiber coating. The tiber orientation guided the directions of delamination and plastic deformation zones between the tiber layer and the glass plate. Impact surface-fracture indices expressed in terms of the maximum stress and absorbed energy could be used as an effective evaluation parameter of the surface resistance.