Deformation and Failure Behavior of Woven Composite Laminates

Abstract

Conceptually, fabric composites have some structural advantages over conventional laminates. However, deformation and failure analyses become more complex with the additional anisotropy introduced by the weaving geometry. A micromechanistic deformation model, that could realistically be incorporated into structural finite element codes, is proposed where loading direction and weave parameters are allowed to vary. Comparisons are made to previous models and experimental results for woven materials, indicating that the proposed model provides improved estimates for the linear elastic stiffness. The model further provides predictions for internal stresses in the longitudinal, transverse, and interlace regions of the woven laminate which qualitatively correspond to the experimentally observed failure mechanisms. The experimental program investigates deformations behavior and failure mechanisms of 5-harness 0/90 weave Graphite/Epoxy laminates under tension, compression, and 3-point and 4-point bending loading. Under these conditions the woven laminates exhibit orientation dependent mechanical properties and strength.

The effect of recycling on the mechanical response of carbon fibres and their composites

“…Tensile failure in woven composites is dominated by fibre fracture in load-aligned tows [24]. This is illustrated in Figure 12d, where tensile strength at the composite level correlates well with fibre strength.…”

An experimental study of failure initiation and propagation in 2D woven composites under compression

“…Therefore, it is not surprising that most of the literature highlights the final failure morphology rather than the nature and development of the failure process. From the available literature, it is possible to conclude that kink-band formation, as well as intra-ply and inter-ply delamination, are the main compressive failure mechanisms of orthogonal 2D woven composites [3][4][5]. Final failure results from the interaction of these mechanisms which in turn are determined by variables such as reinforcement architecture, loading rate, confinement and mechanical properties of the resin.…”

Numerical and experimental evaluation of cryogenic tensile strength of woven fabric-reinforced glass/epoxy composites using open hole specimens

“…The region of the room temperature fracture surface near the hole edge is relatively smooth, and loose transverse (fill) fiber bundles are found away from the hole edge. Loose transverse fiber bundles are a characteristic of woven laminate tensile failure at room temperature [Karayaka and Kurath 1994]. Based on this finding, damage before the catastrophic failure of the open hole specimens at room temperature seems to lead to the smooth fracture surface near the hole edge and the length of the smooth region is taken as the critical damage zone length D c at room temperature.…”