Introduction. One of the reasons for undesirable delamination of polymer composites with fabric reinforcement is low transverse shear properties. It is known that the reinforcement of polymer fabric composites in the Z direction reduces the sensitivity to delamination and increases the viscosity of interlayer fracture. Various methods of three-dimensional reinforcement of polymer fabric composites are proposed in the literature. However, they complicate the manufacturing process of the structure. The problem is solved by the method of three-dimensional reinforcement proposed in this article — felting. This is a local reinforcement of the composite in the Z direction with minimal production changes. The degree of Z-reinforcement is determined by the felting density, i.e., the number of needle punches per 1 cm2 of the fabric package. The work is aimed at evaluating the effect of felting on the interlayer crack resistance of a composite material.Materials and Methods. The interlayer fracture toughness GIIc was determined on a cross-woven fiberglass with felting of 10 cm-2. The material was impregnated with Etal-370 resin and Etal-45 hardener. Experiments according to ASTM D7905M–14 and GOST 33685–2015 standards were carried out on an Instron 5900R test machine. The stress state at the crack tip was analyzed with regard to the nonlocal strength theory in the ANSYS Workbench program (option “static strength analysis”). The finite element method (FEM) was used.Results. The “load — displacement” curves were considered for the samples. Values GIIc were calculated. The results of ENF tests for felting density of 0 cm–2 and 10 cm–2 were summarized. Control samples and felting samples were compared. In the latter case, GIIс turned out to be ~33% higher. The stress state at the crack tip was calculated under DCB and ENF loading. The dependences of maximum normal and shear stresses, as well as displacements, were visualized in the form of graphs and color charts. To get the calculated “load — displacement” dependences using FEM, the reverse method of obtaining transverse shear constants was used. DCB loading showed that felting provided increasing the rupture strength in the Z direction to ~18%, by 39 to 46 MPa, and in the planes XZ— to ~16%, by 77 to 89 MPa.Discussion and Conclusion. Felting as a method of local three-dimensional reinforcement enhances the interlayer crack resistance of polymer fabric composites. It provides reducing the area of stratifications after local impacts during the operation of structures. Flexible felting technology makes it possible to create zones with an arbitrary impact density, increasing fracture toughness only in the required places of structures. The FEM analysis of the stress state at the crack tip within the framework of the nonlocal strength theory has shown that in strength calculations, the stratification crack can be considered as a stress concentrator.
