Impact and post-impact properties of cfrp laminates reinforced with rectangular z-pins

Abstract The effect of rectangular shaped z-pins on the impact performance of reinforced carbon/epoxy composites was investigated. The specimens were produced using a newly developed production process for dry carbon fabrics. The impact was carried out at various energy levels and with 0%, 0.5% or 1.0% areal density reinforcement. Subsequently, the resulting delaminations were analyzed. Compression after impact tests were performed and the strain to failure was determined. For all tests, rectangular shaped pins showed the best performance, resulting in a 60% reduction of the delaminated area, a 20% higher bearable strain and a 20% CAI improvement.