Search Results (14)

The demand for lower-impact materials in mobility has increased interest in the lightweight composite structures for electric vehicles (EVs). This study presents an extended and revised dataset for biaxial non-crimp fabric (NCF) composite laminates intended for two-wheeled EV chassis applications, building on earlier published results by repeating all mechanical tests and recalculations and by adding a full stress–strain analysis, a repeatability assessment across multiple specimens, and a digital image correlation (DIC)-based strain evaluation. Three material families, represented by four laminate conditions, were investigated: carbon/epoxy composites post-cured for 4 h and 10 h, glass-fiber composites, and linen (flax) composites. The tensile and flexural behaviors were characterized according to ISO 527-4 and ISO 14125, respectively, while a GOM ARAMIS optical system was used to obtain the axial strain, transverse strain, and Poisson’s ratio. Carbon laminates showed the highest performance, with the 10 h post-cure condition reaching 1126 MPa tensile strength, up to 60 GPa Young’s modulus, 696 MPa flexural strength, and 43 GPa flexural modulus. Glass laminates provided intermediate properties, whereas flax laminates showed lower strength but higher compliance and deformation capacity. The obtained results show that the biaxial NCF composites studied in this work offer weight-saving potential for micro-mobility chassis and provide a standard-based benchmark for future durability and life-cycle studies. Full article

This paper investigates the fatigue and residual strength behavior of recycled carbon fiber reinforced plastics (rCFRPs) with different fiber architectures in an epoxy resin matrix: a unidirectional (UD) rCFRP and a non-crimp fabric (NCF) composite. Due to the research gap in fatigue testing of recycled carbon fiber-reinforced plastics with quasi-continuous fiber reinforcement, their fatigue properties are investigated in this article. The objective of the present study is to contribute to the broader goal of integrating recycled carbon fibers as quasi-continuous fiber reinforcement in structural applications by understanding their failure behavior. To determine suitable stress levels for fatigue testing, quasi-static tensile tests are conducted first. Subsequently, fatigue tests are performed with a stress ratio of 0.1. Damage evolution is documented by a continuous recording of the stiffness degradation. For the unidirectional material, an S-N_f curve is created based on three stress levels. The curve can be described with a logarithmic equation. Fatigue testing of the NCF laminate is performed at a single stress level. Subsequent residual strength tests using standard specimens show no clear correlation between the number of load cycles of pre-cycling and residual strength, but indicate a sudden-death behavior for both composites. For further investigation of the damage behavior, in situ residual strength tests are carried out using a combination of acoustic emission analysis and micro-computed tomography (µCT) imaging. This investigation is intended to illustrate crack initiation and propagation three-dimensionally after pre-cycling and during residual strength tests. The results demonstrate a significant influence of the microstructure on the failure behavior. Full article

Non-crimp fabric (NCF) composites are increasingly adopted for structural components due to their high mechanical performance and processability. Like other fibre-reinforced plastics, NCFs remain vulnerable to in-service damage from tool drops or unintended collisions, which can substantially reduce load-bearing capacity. This study aimed to develop a validated numerical model capable of simulating damage initiation and post-impact behaviour through an integrated experimental–numerical approach. The mechanical properties of a representative unidirectional NCF composite were first experimentally established. Then, tubular NCF subcomponents were fabricated and tested under a two-phase loading protocol. In the first phase, damage was introduced using quasi-static indentation or controlled low-velocity impact. In the second phase, the residual load-bearing capacity of the damaged subcomponents was assessed under four-point bending. To support the research objective, a finite element model was developed in LS-DYNA to simulate both phases, using the MAT_ENHANCED_COMPOSITE_DAMAGE (MAT54) material formulation. Non-measurable input parameters, including stress limit factors and erosion strain thresholds, were calibrated via parameter estimation, sensitivity analysis, and iterative refinement. The final model showed close agreement with experiments in predicted damage location, deformation mode, and residual strength. X-ray computed tomography was used to validate delamination predictions. The findings support the development of reliable and cost-effective numerical tools for damage assessment in advanced composite structures. Full article

Composites with continuous fiber reinforcement offer excellent fatigue properties but are tedious to characterize due to anisotropy and the interplay of fatigue properties, processing conditions, and the constituents. The global fiber volume content can affect both monotonic and fatigue strength. This dependence can increase the necessary testing effort even when processing conditions and constituents remain identical. This work presents an in situ edge observation method, enabling light microscopy during loading. As a result, digital image correlation can be employed to study local strains at cracking sites on the scale of fiber bundles. The geometric influence on fatigue damage is examined in non-crimp fabrics of glass and carbon fibers. Two epoxy resins (one modified by irradiation) are investigated to verify the geometric influence under changed polymer properties. The microscopy-based image correlation revealed that damage forms at very low global strains of only 0.2–0.3% in glass fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates. For carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy, laminate cracking was found to emanate mainly from regions containing stitching fibers. Across both reinforcements, irradiation treatment led to delayed cracks, emanating from interfaces. This detailed analysis of the damage formation is used as a basis for proposed applications of the in situ strain information. Full article

Textile polymer composite is made of structured fibre matrix using textile technologies in fabrication, and gains benefits from strong mechanical properties with extra light weight. However, erosion behaviours and associated wear mechanisms of the composites may be influenced by the fibre structures due to heterogeneous composition and complex architectural topologies. Understanding the erosive mechanisms of the structured composites can be important, not only for preventing surface damage and loss of mechanical strength but also for improving design and fabrication of the composites. This paper presents an experimental study of erosive wear under sand blasting on 3D woven carbon-fibre-reinforced textile composites with epoxy. The architectural topology methods of the composites include non-crimped bidirectional, tufted bidirectional, 3D layer-to-layer and 3D orthogonal textile methods. The erosion tests were conducted on four impact angles (20°, 30°, 45° and 90°) under one impact velocity at 40 m/s. The study results show that the erosive mechanism of the textile composites is different from that of the neat substrate material. The observations from this study also reveal the different erosive behaviours between the composites with different fibre structures. It concludes that architectural structures can influence the erosion of a textile composite but will not result in significant differences in the wear resistance of the composites (<20%). Full article

Delamination, a form of composite failure, is a significant concern in laminated composites. The increasing use of out-of-autoclave manufacturing techniques for automotive applications, such as compression moulding and thermoforming, has led to increased interest in understanding the delamination resistance of carbon-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composites compared to traditional carbon-fibre-reinforced thermosetting (CFRTS) composites. This study evaluated the mode I (opening) interlaminar fracture toughness of two non-crimp fabric (NCF) biaxial (0/90°) carbon/thermoplastic composite systems: T700/polyamide 6.6 and T700/polyphenylene sulphide. The mode I delamination resistance was determined using the double cantilever beam (DCB) specimen. The results were analysed and the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness was compared. Additionally, the fractographic analysis (microstructure characterisation) was conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to examine the failure surface of the specimens. Full article

Non-crimp fabrics (NCFs) are increasingly used in industry for manufacturing of composite structures due to a combination of high mechanical properties and excellent manufacturability. As with other composites, in-service damage can be a cause for severe reduction in load-carrying capacity of NCF-reinforced plastics. In this experimental and numerical study, two constitutive material models previously used only for damage prediction in unidirectional (UD) tape and woven fabric-reinforced materials (LS-DYNA’s *MAT_ENHANCED_COMPOSITE_DAMAGE—MAT54 and *MAT_LAMINATED_COMPOSITE_FABRIC—MAT58) were evaluated for simulating transverse crushing of composite parts processed from a non-crimp carbon fabric. For this purpose, UD NCF components of tubular shape were subjected to transverse crushing through a controlled indentation of a metallic cylinder, and results of the experiment were compared with numerical modeling. Considered verification metrics included the observed and the predicted patterns of interlaminar damage, the extent of delamination, as well as the ability of the models to replicate force-displacement response exhibited by the tested specimens. Full article

The strain rate-dependent behavior of a unidirectional non-crimp fabric (UD-NCF) carbon fiber/snap-cure epoxy composite loaded along the transverse direction under quasi-static and dynamic conditions was characterized. Transverse tension and compression tests at quasi-static and intermediate strain rates were performed using hydraulic testing machines, while a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus was used for transverse compression tests at high strain rates. A pulse shaper was used on the SHPB apparatus to ensure dynamic equilibrium was achieved and that the test specimens deformed homogenously with a nearly constant strain rate. The transverse tensile strength at a strain rate of 16 s⁻¹ increased by 16% when compared to that at quasi-static strain rates, while distinct localized fracture surface morphology was observed for specimens tested at different strain rates. The transverse compressive yield stress and strength at a strain rate of 325 s⁻¹ increased by 94% and 96%, respectively, when compared to those at quasi-static strain rates. The initial fracture plane orientation for the transverse compression tests was captured with high-speed cameras and found to increase with increasing strain rate. The study provides an important data set for the strain rate-dependent response of a UD-NCF composite material, while the qualitative fracture surface observations provide a deeper understanding of the failure characteristics. Full article

Damage generated due to low velocity impact in composite plates was evaluated focusing on the design and structural integrity of wind turbine blades. Impact properties of composite plates manufactured with thermoplastic and thermoset resins for different energy levels were measured and compared. Specimens were fabricated using VARTM (vacuum assisted resin transfer molding), using both matrix systems in conjunction with carbon, glass and carbon/glass hybrid fibers in the NCF (non-crimp fabric) architecture. Resin systems used were ELIUM 188O (thermoplastic) from Arkema Co., Ltd. and a standard epoxy reference, EPR-L20 from Hexion Co., Ltd. (thermoset). Auxiliary numerical finite element analyses were performed to better understand the tests physics. These models were then compared with the experimental results to verify their predictive capacity, given the intrinsic limitations due to their simplicity. Based in the presented results, it is possible to observe that ELIUM is capable to replace a conventional thermoset matrix. The thermoplastic panels presented similar results compared to its thermoset counterparts, with even a trend of less impact damage. Additionally, for both thermoplastic and thermoset resin systems, glass layups showed the lowest levels of damage while carbon panels presented the highest damage levels. Hybrid laminates can be applied as a compromise solution. Full article

There has been a lot of interest in understanding the low-velocity impact (LVI) response of thermoplastic composites. However, little research has focussed on studying the impact behaviour of non-crimp fabric (NCF)-based fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the LVI responses of two types of non-crimp fabric (NCF) carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic laminated composites that have been considered attractive in the automotive and aerospace industry: (i) T700/polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6) and (ii) T700/polyphenylene sulphide (PPS). Each carbon/thermoplastic type was impacted at three different energy levels (40, 100 and 160 J), which were determined to achieve three degrees of penetrability, i.e., no penetration, partial penetration and full penetration, respectively. Two distinct non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques ((i) ultrasonic C-scanning and (ii) X-ray tomography) were used to assess the extent of damage after impact. The laminated composite plates were subjected to an out-of-plane, localised impact using an INSTRON^® drop-weight tower with a hemispherical impactor measuring 16 mm in diameter. The time histories of force, deflection and velocity are reported and discussed. A nonlinear finite element model of the LVI phenomenon was developed using a finite element (FE) solver LS-DYNA^® and validated against the experimental observations. The extent of damage observed and level of impact energy absorption calculated on both the experiment and FE analysis are compared and discussed. Full article

A dynamic tensile experiment was performed on a rectangular specimen of a non-crimp fabric (NCF) thermoplastic composite T700 carbon/polyamide 6.6 specimens using a split Hopkinson pressure (Kolsky) bar (SHPB). The experiment successfully provided useful information on the strain-rate sensitivity of the NCF carbon/thermoplastic material system. The average tensile strength at three varying strain rates: 700, 1400, and 2100/s was calculated and compared to the tensile strength measured from a standardized (quasi-static) procedure. The increase in tensile strength was found to be 3.5, 24.2, and 45.1% at 700, 1400, and 2100/s strain rate, respectively. The experimental findings were used as input parameters for the numerical model developed using a commercial finite element (FE) explicit solver LS-DYNA^®. The dynamic FE model was validated against experimental gathering and used to predict the composite system’s behavior in various engineering applications under high strain-rate loading conditions. The SHPB tension test detailed in this study provided the enhanced understanding of the T700/polyamide 6.6 composite material’s behavior under different strain rates and allowed for the prediction of the material’s behavior under real-world, dynamic loading conditions, such as low-velocity and high-velocity impact. Full article

The effect of the weaving architecture and the z-binding yarns, for 2D and 3D woven composites on the low-velocity impact resistance of carbon fibre reinforced composites, is investigated and benchmarked against noncrimp fabric (NCF). Four architectures, namely: NCF, 2D plain weave (2D-PW), 3D orthogonal: plain (ORT-PW) and twill (ORT-TW), were subjected to 15 J impact using a 16 mm-diameter, 6.7 kg hemispherical impactor. Nondestructive techniques, including ultrasonic C-scanning, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) were used to map and quantify the size of the induced barely visible impact damage (BVID). The energy absorption of each architecture was correlated to the damage size: both in-plane and in-depth directions. The 3D architectures, regardless of their unit-cell size, demonstrated the highest impact resistance as opposed to 2D-PW and the NCF. X-ray CT segmentation showed the effect of the higher frequency of the z-binding yarns, in the ORT-PW case, in delamination and crack arresting even when compared to the other 3D architecture (ORT-TW). Among all the architectures, ORT-PW exhibited the highest damage resistance with the least damage size. This suggests that accurate design of the z-binding yarns’ path and more importantly its frequency in 3D woven architectures is essential for impact-resistant composite structures. Full article

Composites have gained wide use in structural applications; however, they are sensitive to impact damage. The use of hybrid composites is an effective way to overcome this deficiency. The effects of various hybrid structures of interlayer and intralayer warp-knitted fabrics with carbon and glass fibers on the low-velocity impact behavior of composite laminates were studied. Drop-weight impact tests were conducted on two types of interlayer, sandwich and intralayer hybrid composite laminates, which were compared with homogenous composite laminates. During low-velocity impact tests, the time histories of impact forces and absorbed energy by laminate were recorded. The failure modes were analyzed using the micro-CT (computed tomography) and C-scan techniques. The results revealed that the hybrid structure played an important role in peak force and the absorbed energy, and that the hybrid interface had an influence on damage modes, whereas the intralayer hybrid composite laminate damage was affected by the impact location. The intralayer hybrid laminate with C:G = 1:1 exhibited better impact resistance compared to the other hybrid structures. Full article

For mass production of structural composites, use of different textile patterns, custom preforming, room temperature cure high performance polymers and simplistic manufacturing approaches are desired. Woven fabrics are widely used for infusion processes owing to their high permeability but their localised mechanical performance is affected due to inherent associated crimps. The current investigation deals with manufacturing low-weight textile carbon non-crimp fabrics (NCFs) composites with a room temperature cure epoxy and a novel liquid Methyl methacrylate (MMA) thermoplastic matrix, Elium^®. Vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) process is chosen as a cost effective manufacturing technique. Process parameters optimisation is required for thin NCFs due to intrinsic resistance it offers to the polymer flow. Cycles of repetitive manufacturing studies were carried out to optimise the NCF-thermoset (TS) and NCF with novel reactive thermoplastic (TP) resin. It was noticed that the controlled and optimised usage of flow mesh, vacuum level and flow speed during the resin infusion plays a significant part in deciding the final quality of the fabricated composites. The material selections, the challenges met during the manufacturing and the methods to overcome these are deliberated in this paper. An optimal three stage vacuum technique developed to manufacture the TP and TS composites with high fibre volume and lower void content is established and presented. Full article