The impact properties of knitted and woven fabric GFRP composites have been compared. The nature and the extend of the impact damage were assessed by ultrasonic C-scan, visual inspection, and microscopic inspection. The impact properties of knitted and woven fabric composites are obtained from an evaluation of the impact force and loss impact energy, and damage development as a function of the incident kinetic energy level. Compression after impact tests and tensile after impact tests for the textile composites were performed to evaluate the reduction of the mechanical properties after impact. Two impact damage resistance criteria are used to make a comparison between the impact behaviour of knitted and woven fabric composites. The first criterion is based on the impact damage area as a function of the loss impact energy, while the second criterion is based on the normalised tensile strength as a function of the impact damage area. Based on both criteria, knitted fabric composites show better impact resistance than woven fabric composites.
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