Planing hull vessel built with polymer matrix laminates and fiberglass reinforcements (GFRP) suffer structural damage due to the phenomenon of slamming during navigation, due to the impact of the boat hull on the free surface of the water at high speed. A modification in the manufacture of the laminates for these fast boats is proposed, consisting of the insertion of an additional layer of a hybrid material, formed by elastomer encapsulated in an ABS polymer cell. Using GFRP specimens made from pre-impregnated material and reproducing the characteristic impacts of slamming, it is possible to compare the modified material with the introduction of the viscoelastic layers with the response under the same conditions as the unmodified laminates. Additionally, the panels have been tested using impacts due to weight drop at different energies, which allow determining the material damage threshold as a function of the energy absorbed, and to establish a comparison with the GFRP panels modified by observation in fluorescent light. It is verified that the proposal to reduce the effect of these impacts on the generation of damage to the material and its progression throughout the service life of the vessel is effective.
In the Galapagos Islands there is an important fleet of coastal shipping vessels for navigation between islands, less than 15 meters in length and constructed of fiberglass reinforced plastic (GFRP). The proposal to modify the hulls of the new ships that enter to operate in the islands with viscoelastic sheets is presented. In order to protect them from the damage caused by the phenomenon of slamming and increase their life time. By means of fatigue tests applying cyclic loading, the evolution of the damage within the laminate is observed, and by means of characterization techniques the levels of microcracks induced by the impacts are compared. The results show that the modification introduced in the laminate significantly reduces the repair times protecting the environment.
This study describes a methodology that allows evaluating the behavior of a glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminate impacted by a vertical weight drop, analyzing the damage that occurred inside. The purpose of the designers was, by means of characterization tests of the curing processes, evaluation of the cohesion of a particular laminate, application of vertical tests by weight drops and with the use of the readings of an accelerometer in a single direction, know the trend of how intralaminar breaks in the matrix and interlaminar breaks between layers occur. It is proposed to establish the behavior of the laminate before the tests by analyzing curing times, for after the tests by observations with penetrating fluorescent inks. This allows researchers to know the response of the laminate to the loads imposed on the applied structure. For the tests, prepreg material cured outside the autoclave in an oven was used and qualitative quantification of the damage by observing sections of the tested material infiltrated with penetrating fluorescent ink exposed to ultraviolet light.
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