MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF GLASS-FIBER-REINFORCED AND CARBON-FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITES MADE WITH NON-CRIMP FABRICS

The labour-intensive requirements of manufacturing unidirectional prep reg tape laminates is driving industry to examine alternative processi ng routes that combine all the attributes of unidirectional prepreg ta pes, brit with reduced cost. One such technique that offers automated high-volume production with the potential for near-net-shape manufactu ring is the textile process. The genre of particular interest in this investigation was the wasp-knit (non-crimp) fabric. The 'elastic' macr o-mechanical behaviour of the unidirectional prepreg tapes and non-cri mp fabrics were predicted satisfactorily by using classical thin lamin ate theory. Mechanisms of failure in the non-crimp fabrics may general ly be linked to crimp in the tows, but with subtle differences driving failure in tension and compression. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited .