Abstract
The effect of stitch density (SD) on fatigue life, stiffness degradation and fatigue damage mechanisms in carbon/epoxy (T800SC/XNRH6813) stitched using Vectran thread is presented in this paper. Moderately stitched composite (SD = 0.028/mm2; 'stitched 6 × 6') and densely stitched composite (SD = 0.111/mm2; 'stitched 3 × 3') are tested and compared with composite without stitch thread (SD = 0.0; 'unstitched'). The experiments show that the fatigue life of stitched 3 × 3 is moderately better than that of unstitched and stitched 6 × 6. Stitched 3 × 3 pattern is also able to postpone the stiffness degradation onset. The improvement of fatigue properties and postponement of stiffness degradation onset in stitched 3 × 3 is primarily due to an effective impediment of edge-delamination. Quantification of damage at various cycles and stress levels shows that stitch density primarily affects the growth rate of delamination. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 52-65 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing |
Volume | 60 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2014 |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledgements: Authors would like to thank Tokyo Metropolitan Government under the project of Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) for the financial support.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanics of Materials
- Ceramics and Composites