Mechanical properties of single-sided-loop 2D woven laminated composites

Carbon fiber laminated composites are widely used in aerospace and high speed railways industries due to their high specific strength and stiffness, but the poor interlaminar properties affect their further applications. In order to solve the problem of poor interlayer performance of woven laminated composites, this paper proposes a new type of laminated composite, called single-sided-loop two-dimensional (2D) woven laminated composites (SWLC). By introducing loop warp yarns to the thickness of general 2D woven laminated composites (GWLC), the loop between its preform and resin can improve the way of the fibers attached to the substrate and increase the volume content of the fibers between the layers. The mechanical behavior of SWLC is investigated experimentally and numerically. For numerical simulations, a unit cell is established based on the fine periodic structure. A progressive damage model is established using the 3D Hashin and the von-Mises criteria. Numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental data. Results show that the looped fabric can improve interlayer properties at the expense of slight reduction of some in-plane properties.