Tensile Behavior of Unidirectional Carbon Reinforced Composites for Aerospace Structures under Varying Strain Rates

Abstract

This paper focuses on progressive damage investigation and failure analysis of carbon fiber reinforced laminates under varying strain rates in tensile mode. Samples specimen prepared for experiments were made from unidirectional ply with 70/30 fiber-matrix volume fraction and cross-ply (0°-90°) balanced stacking. These laminates were subjected to uniaxial longitudinal tensile loading in a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) with varying strain rates. Results acquired from the experiments were used to plot stress versus strain curves for different strain rates. These plots were subsequently analyzed to investigate the effect of varying loading rates on the mechanical properties and failure behavior of these composites. Experimental data revealed a considerable increase in the tensile strength with increasing strain rate. The tensile modulus and strain to failure were also found to exhibit slight increase with the increasing strain rate.