Comparison of damage mechanisms in chopped strand mat and woven roving mat composites under cyclic tension

Abstract

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites with chopped strand mat (CSM) and woven roving mat (WRM) reinforcements are widely used in high‐pressure piping due to their favorable strength‐to‐weight ratio. However, cyclic loading from vibrations and pulsating forces can induce internal microstructural damage, ultimately leading to performance degradation. A thorough understanding of this damage mechanism is imperative for its mitigation, necessitating a detailed examination. The present study aims to investigate the fatigue response and damage mechanisms in CSM and WRM composites subjected to tension‐tension cyclic loading. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of edge sections revealed the development of perpendicular microcracks in both composites. CSM composites exhibited fatigue cracks parallel to the loading direction and higher levels of parallel interface debonding compared to perpendicular matrix cracks. Finite element analysis of the representative volume element revealed the role of shear stress in the matrix in initiating parallel cracks, thereby explaining the damage initiation mechanism in CSM. These findings highlight the distinct damage mechanisms arising from the differing fiber arrangements in CSM and WRM composites, providing valuable insights for optimizing their performance under cyclic loading conditions.Highlights Fatigue response of CSM and WRM was influenced by fiber orientation and weaving pattern. Perpendicular fibers were the most probable fibers to have their interface form a crack. Fatigue cracks parallel to the direction of loading were observed in CSM composites. Quantified the true 3D internal microstructural damages for the first time.