Stitching Effect on Flexural and Interlaminar Properties of MWK Textile Composites

Abstract

The stitching process has been widely utilized for the improvement of through-thickness property of the conventional laminated composites. This paper reports the effects of stitching on the flexural and interlaminar shear properties of multi-axial warp knitted (MWK) composites in order to identify the mechanical property improvements. In order to minimize the geometric uncertainties associated with the stacking pattern of fabrics, the regular lay-up was considered in the examination of the stitching effect. The key parameters are as follows: the stitch spacings, the stitching types, the stitching location, and the location of compression fixture nose. These parameters have little effect on the flexural and interlaminar shear properties, except for the case of stitching location. However, the geometry variations caused by the stitching resulted in minor changes to the mechanical properties consistently. Stitching on the fibers showed the lowest flexural strength and modulus (12% reduction for both properties). The stitch spacing of 5 mm resulted in 8% reduction for the case of interlaminar strength compared with that of 10 mm spacing.