Theoretical and Experimental Studies on Quantitative Analysis of Impact-Penetration Properties of BFRP Laminates

Basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) laminates have attracted increasing attention in engineering applications owing to their favorable mechanical properties. However, the influence of fiber content and stacking sequence on their low-velocity impact response and damage evolution remains insufficiently understood. To address this gap, nine groups of BFRP laminates with different fiber contents and stacking sequences were subjected to drop-weight impact tests. Contact force–time histories, displacement responses, and failure characteristics were analyzed to evaluate their impact performance. An analytical model based on energy conservation was also developed to describe the relationship between contact force and penetration depth, accounting for energy dissipation associated with laminate bending, interlaminar delamination, and material failure, as well as the effects of laminate stiffness and penetration resistance. The results show that increasing fiber content leads to more pronounced post-peak force fluctuations, accompanied by progressive damage development under the investigated conditions. Among the three stacking configurations, the [±30] laminates exhibited the smallest damage area and a comparatively favorable impact response, whereas the [0/90] laminates suffered more severe damage. The predicted force–penetration responses agreed reasonably well with the experimental results, indicating that the model captures the overall response trends under the investigated conditions. The proposed model therefore provides a simplified analytical approach for describing the low-velocity impact response of BFRP laminates.