Research on development of 3D woven textile-reinforced composites and their flexural behavior

Abstract

In this study, a new weaving technology with a modified heddle position system based on a self-built three-dimensional (3D) weaving loom is designed, and four typical 3D woven-structure textile groups are manufactured: layer-to-layer orthogonal weaving, through-thickness orthogonal weaving, layer-to-layer angle-interlock weaving, and through-thickness angle-interlock weaving. The new weaving technology has great potential for manufacturing various 3D woven structures effectively and efficiently. The fabricated 3D woven textile-reinforced epoxy-resin composites undergo quasi-static three-point bending tests to study the influence of the woven structure on the flexural performance and failure modes along the textile warp and weft directions. The composites along the weft direction (weft-direction beams) have a larger flexural modulus but smaller failure strain compared with the warp direction (warp-direction beams) for all woven-structure types. Among the designed 3D textile composites, the angle-interlock woven structures have a larger flexural strength (50%), modulus (40%), and failure resistance than have the orthogonal-woven structures. Overall, the through-thickness angle-interlock woven structure has the best flexural-failure resistance among all textile structures, and is the optimal structural design based on this modified weaving technology.