Uniaxial and biaxial bioinspired interlocking composite panels subjected to dynamic loadings

Learning from natural materials, such as nacre, bone and spider silk, is an effective way to develop future high-performance composite materials and structures. In this work, a conceptual composite panel inspired by nacre from mollusc shells is proposed and simulated with different types of interlocked wavy laminates. The deformation and failure mechanisms of individual fibre and matrix (Vinylester resin) laminas in the proposed composite panel under dynamic loading are modelled and compared with their flat and traditional interlocked dog-bone-like counterparts. An effective polyurea backing layer, which was demonstrated to significantly reduce damage to the flat composite laminate in the author's previous work, is also added to the back of the current composite panels to activate mix-mode damages in the panel. The numerical results highlight the essential role of the wavy laminate in enhancing the panel's performance by mitigating the transmitted dynamic load and reducing either inter-lamina delamination or fibre degradation. Parametric studies were carried out on different sectional shapes to demonstrate the significant improvement of the wavy composite Fibre/Vinylester layers under blast and impact loads.