Mechanical Properties of Stitched Multiaxial Fabric Reinforced Composites From Mannual Layup Process

Abstract

This paper summarizes the consolidation behavior of E-glass stitched multiaxial non-crimp fabrics (NCFs) and the mechanical properties of the resulting composites from the manual layup process. NCFs offer many advantages over conventional woven and nonwoven fabrics in terms of processibility and properties. The reinforcement structures studied include six NCFs with different fiber orientation combination, number of sub-ply layers, and unit weight. The compressive and recovery behavior of the dry preforms is evaluated and related to their processibility in the hand lay-up process. Mechanical properties of specimens from the hand layup process are evaluated in tensile, compressive, and flexural tests. The test results and failure mechanisms are reported. The effect of consolidation quality on the mechanical properties is discussed.