The impact response of composite materials was of only minor interest prior to the introduction of carbon fiber in the mid-1960s. Before that time, the composites in use were primarily reinforced with ...

Charpy testing is a method for determining the relative impact strength of metals. It is also known as the Charpy V notch test. This testing method was developed in the 1940s by S.B. Russell and G.

During the late 1960s and most of the 1970s, the composites industry was absorbing the impact of what was then the recent introduction of carbon fiber. The resulting composites exhibited both high ...