Low-Velocity Impact Performance of Triax Glass Fabric Reinforced Poly(methyl methacrylate) Composites

Abstract

Impact resistance is vital for marine and protective structural composites. Conventional glass fiber/epoxy thermosets feature high specific strength but suffer poor recyclability. Herein, recyclable triaxial glass fiber-reinforced PMMA (Triax-GF/PMMA) laminates were manufactured, and quasi-static tensile, compressive and shear tests were conducted to obtain the fundamental mechanical constitutive parameters for the subsequent impact performance analysis. Low-velocity drop-weight impact (15–120 J) and compression-after-impact (CAI) experiments were carried out. Under a 50 J impact condition, the residual compressive strength of Triax-GF/PMMA reached 131.5 MPa, which was approximately 9.8% higher than that of the epoxy counterpart (119.8 MPa). Meanwhile, the peak impact load of Triax-GF/PMMA increased to 11.84 kN, compared with 9.98 kN for the epoxy system, indicating enhanced impact load-bearing capability. An ABAQUS/Explicit finite element model with Hashin failure criteria was validated by experimental results, with the relative errors of predicted peak loads maintained below 8%. Simulations at 30 J (non-penetration) and 120 J (penetration) showed milder deformation and slighter damage in Triax-GF/PMMA. A predictive model linking laminate thickness and perforation energy was further proposed. This work provides experimental and numerical support for the development of lightweight, recyclable, impact-resistant composites for potential marine applications.