This paper deals with the mechanical behaviour analysis for textile reinforced soft composites used for tensile structures. It concerns more particularly the crack propagation strength of polyester fabrics coated with PVC. First of all, we observed and analysed failure mechanisms of a ripped sample, in particular by the evaluation of the influence of the crack length and direction on its propagation under mono-axial tests. Then, as a complement to this first approach, we conducted bi-axial tensile tests on previously notched samples, varying the initial crack orientation and the loading ratios. At last, the application of extensions to the linear elastic fracture mechanics allowed the experimental determination of a parameter specific to crack propagation: the toughness in mode I, K-Ic. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
