A new generation of 3D composite materials: Advantage and disadvantage

Abstract

The advent of a new generation of materials composite, known as three-dimensional composite, raises as many hopes as new scientific challenges. Indeed, the reinforcement in the third direction allows the reduction of the interlaminar stresses, the improvement of the impacts behavior and the increase of the performances in the third direction. However, the complexity of architectures imposes a modification of the experimental and theoretical approaches used until now for traditional composite materials. This article proposes a summary of the work carried out within the Roberval laboratory of the University of Technologie of Compiègne on this type of material. It aims to highlight the advantages and the disadvantages of this new generation of composite materials as well as the weaknesses of the experimental and theoretical used approaches. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009.