com
Abstract
The mechanical and failure behavior of a carbon-fabric/epoxy composite was characterized and appropriate failure criteria in three
dimensions were proposed. The material investigated was reinforced with a ve-harness satin carbon ber weave. Test methods were
developed/adapted for complete mechanical characterization of textile composites in three dimensions. Through-thickness tensile and
compressive properties were obtained by testing short waisted blocks bonded to metal end blocks. The through-thickness shear behavior
was determined using a short beam with V-notches under shear. Multiaxial states of stress were investigated by testing in-plane and
through-thickness specimens under o-axis tension and compression at various orientations with the in-plane directions. Three types
of failure criteria in three dimensions were proposed, limit criteria (maximum stress), fully interactive criteria (TsaiHill, TsaiWu),
and failure mode based and partially interactive criteria (HashinRotem, Sun, NU). The latter, a newly developed interlaminar failure
theory, was found to be in excellent agreement with experimental results in the through-thickness direction, especially those involving
interlaminar shear and compression.
2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: A. Fabrics/textiles; Polymer-matrix composites; B. Mechanical properties; D. Mechanical testing
1. Introduction
Fabric reinforced or textile composites are increasingly
used in aerospace, automotive, naval and other applications. They are convenient material forms providing adequate stiness and strength in many structures. In such
applications they are subjected to three-dimensional states
of stress coupled with hygrothermal eects. The microstructure of composite laminates reinforced with woven,
braided, or stitched networks is signicantly dierent from
that of tape based laminates. Furthermore, the relative
magnitudes of in-plane and through-thickness elastic and
strength properties are dierent from those of tape based
composites.
The failure mechanisms of textile reinforced composites
depend on the textile type (woven, braided, stitched) and
the weave style (plain, twill, satin) in addition to the ber
and matrix properties. One general characteristic of fabric
*
1359-8368/$ - see front matter 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2007.02.002
Tension UD
300
Stress, 1 (GPa)
2
Compression UD
200
Tension WF
100
Compression WF
0
0
0.3
0.6
0.9
1.2
1.5
Stress, 1 (ksi)
14
0
1.8
Strain, 1 (%)
b100
12
Unidirectional
152
Woven Fabric
60
12.7 x 1.3
40
Stress, 6 (ksi)
Stress, 6 (MPa)
80
20
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
Strain, (%)
6
15
80
40
Stress, (ksi)
Stress, 3 (MPa)
10
E = 12.8 GPa
F = 59.8 MPa
= 0.5 %
60
20
2
0
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0
0.6
0.5
Strain, 3 (%)
1000
3
100
600
400
50
Stress, 3 (ksi)
Stress, 3 (MPa)
800
200
0
0
Strain, 3 (%)
100
Stress, 31 (MPa)
60
40
ult
31 > 7 %
Stress, 31 (ksi)
12
80
20
0
0
4
6
Strain, 31 (%)
10
16
Fig. 6. Failure modes of carbon fabric/epoxy composite under through-thickness tension, compression, and shear.
60
8
50
6
40
30
Stress (ksi)
Stress (MPa)
20
0 degrees
15 degrees
10
30 degrees
3. Failure analysis
0
0
0.2
0.3
0.4
0
0.5
Fig. 8. Stressstrain curves of carbon fabric/epoxy under throughthickness tension at various angles.
1000
7.5 degrees
15 degrees
700
30 degrees
120
z
3
100
45 degrees
600
80
500
60
400
Stress (ksi)
800
300
1
x
y,
40
200
20
100
Tsai-Hill
Experimental
0
100
0.6
150
0.4
50
12.5 x 1.3
0
0
Strength, (ksi)
0.8
Strength (GPa)
140
0 degrees
900
Stress (MPa)
0.1
Fig. 9. Stressstrain curves of carbon fabric/epoxy under throughthickness compression at various angles.
0.2
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
90
Angle, (degrees)
sion at various angles with the 3-direction. The corresponding stressstrain curves show large variations in stiness
and strength with load orientation (Fig. 9). Failure patterns
are shown in Fig. 10.
The results obtained were evaluated based on three
types of failure criteria, noninteractive or limit criteria
17
Fig. 10. Failure patterns of woven carbon/epoxy specimens under through-thickness compression at various angles.
2
2
F3
F6
F1
F4
1
2 r1 r2 r2 r3 r3 r1 1
1
F1
For in-plane loading (12 plane) it reduces to
1 2
s6
2
r1 r2 r1 r2
1
2
F6
F1
or r3 < 0; s5
1
9
F 3c
F 5 gr3
where g is a friction type coecient that must be estimated
with the help of additional testing [11].
In the NU theory, when failure is compression dominated (for large angles between the load and the interlaminar plane), the failure criterion is the maximum shear
strain. This mode of failure is governed by the following
criterion
18
r3
F 3c
2
s5
F 3c
2
E3
G13
2
1
10
When the failure is shear dominated (for small angles between the loading direction and interlaminar plane), the
200
Tsai-Hill, Hashin-Rotem
Tsai-Wu
Max. stress
Experimental
180
160
140
Max Stress
120
T-H,
H-R
100
80
T-W
60
40
20
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
(deg)
Fig. 11. Comparison of experimental results and predictions of throughthickness tensile strength of woven-carbon/epoxy composite.
Tsai-Hill
Tsai-Wu
Max. stress
Compressive
Fz (MPa)
-300
-600
-900
z
z
y, 2
1
x
-1200
0
15
30
45
60
75
90
(deg.)
Fig. 12. Comparison of experimental results and predictions of throughthickness compressive strength of woven-carbon/epoxy composite.
300
(a)
(b)
100
0
-1000
-800
-600
-400
-200
200
TT Shear 5 (MPa)
200
-100
Experimental
-200
Max Stress
Tsai-Hill
Hashin-Rotem
-300
TT Stress 3 (MPa)
Tsai-Wu
(a) Max Shear Strain Criterion
(b) Max Tensile Strain Criterion
Fig. 13. Comparison of experimental results of through-thickness compressive strength and predictions of various theories including new theory based on
maximum strain criteria.
19