Cover Image, Volume 138, Issue 25

This cover designed by Muhammad Irfan and colleagues shows how High Performance Polyethylene (HPPE) fibers are relatively tougher than carbon fibers and can be used to improve impact tolerance of carbon epoxy composite laminates. Composite laminates containing carbon fibers suffer from delamination upon impact. An interleave of a tough material like HPPE fibers inserted between these carbon fiber plies can reduce the damage due to impact. HPPE fibers do not undergo brittle fracture, rather ductile fracture is observed along with fibrillation. Nonwoven interleaves comprising HPPE fibers can be used to improve impact properties of carbon-epoxy composite laminates for various applications.