The influence of yarn fiber volume fraction, shear angle, and yarn spacing on crack propagation resistance of plain-woven fabric-reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of fabric parameters on crack propagation in plain-woven e-glass reinforced epoxy composite plates. Through numerical analyses, the study contributes to understanding the effect of fabric structure on crack propagation and adopting a more precise approach in the design of composite materials. The yarn fiber volume fraction, shear angle, and yarn spacing parameters were selected as variables for the plain-woven fabric, and material properties were determined for each parameter using the composite homogenization method. A finite element model was created using the Ansys software package, and stress intensity factors (SIFs) and tear stress values were obtained under mode I loading to investigate the effects of fabric structure on crack propagation. The results showed that as the yarn fiber volume fraction ratio increased, the SIF values decreased and the T-stress values increased. When evaluated according to the shear angle of the yarn, the lowest SIF value was obtained for the 0-degree shear angle. The same was observed for T-stress values as well. Additionally, compared to the fabric structure aligned along the X-axis, a significant decrease occurred in the SIF value due to the perpendicular fiber density increase to the crack propagation direction with symmetric orientation.