Impact toughness of CPP- and PET-Based hybrid thermoplastic laminates under edgewise charpy testing
Abstract
This study examines the Charpy impact characteristics of laminated thermoplastic composites made from cast polypropylene (CPP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) matrices, reinforced with glass, carbon, and hybrid fiber stacking sequences. Laminates for composite materials were produced using the process of stacking films and hot-pressing them, followed by cutting, and then tested according to ISO 179-1 directives. The Charpy impact test was performed on five specimens for each configuration to measure both impact energy and toughness. The data show that both the matrix’s plasticity and the stacking sequence significantly influence the impact response. CPP composites displayed the best toughness against plain configurations of 7.2 J for carbon and 5.4 J for glass, while the hybrids reached up to 7.26 J for glass-carbon-glass and 6.65 J for carbon-glass-carbon. PET composites carried less toughness in standard configurations of 4.5 J for both carbon and glass, while the hybrid carbon-glass-carbon configuration improved toughness to 7.45 J. The CPP_GCG laminate absorbed about 86% more energy than the PET_G, while CPP composites absorbed 30-35% more than PET composites for all the studied stacking structures. The fractography of specimens confirmed the occurrence of ductile fracture for the CPP composites and brittle failure for the PET composites. The data demonstrate the effectiveness of combining a ductile matrix with hybrid stacking structures to elevate the toughness against impacts, as well as the tolerance to damages for laminated composites.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Early Pub Date
November 2, 2025
Publication Date
March 16, 2026
Submission Date
May 24, 2025
Acceptance Date
July 17, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 32 Number: 2