Impact Test of Automotive Components

Compression After Impact (CAI) testing is used to define the damage resistance of composite materials following an impact event.Impact on composite laminates may not result in visible external damage, but can lead to a significant reduction in compressive strength.The design of automotive components using composite materials should take into account the impact on material properties.

Compression of Composite Laminates After Impact

Compared with their metallic counterparts, composite materials offer excellent mechanical properties (i.e., strength and stiffness) and are lighter in weight, but have poor tolerance to impact-induced damage.The type of damage can be complex, irregular in shape, and may affect all layers of the structure.