2025-04-092025-04-092025Ferreira, L.M.M., Coelho, C.A.C.P. y Reis, P.N.B. (2025). Effect of thickness-to-radius ratio on the impact response of fabric-reinforced composite shells. Thin-Walled Structures, 113279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2025.113279.0263-82311879-3223https://hdl.handle.net/11441/171620This study analyses the effect of thickness-to-radius (t/R) ratio on the dynamic response of fabric-reinforced composite shells subjected to low-velocity impact loads using 3D finite element models validated by experimental results. Focus is given to the t/R ratio's influence on energy dissipation and damage modes. For thick-walled shells (t/R > 0.05) the peak force and contact time increases as the curvature decreses (i.e., with a larger radius), while the maximum displacement decreases. On the other hand, thin-walled shells (t/R < 0.05) exhibit lower peak forces, larger displacements, and longer contact times as the curvature decreases. This transition indicates the existence of a critical point around the radius of 50 mm (t/R = 0.05). The main mechanism for energy dissipation in thick-walled shells is intralaminar damage, and its contribution decreases with increasing radius, whereas for thin-walled shells, friction and delamination determine the absorption of impact energy. In terms of damage propagation patterns, thick-walled shells show localized intra- and interlaminar damage, while thin-walled shells evidence a cross-like intralaminar pattern with more extensive delamination.application/pdfengAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Thin-Walled ShellsThick-Walled ShellsComposite MaterialsImpact ResponseEnergy DissipationDamage PropagationFinite Element Analysiinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2025.113279