Assessment of the mechanical properties of a new 3D woven fibre composite material

Fully interlaced 3D fabric is produced by a new weaving technology, and it is here utilised to produce woven carbon fibre preforms, which are then used as reinforcement in composite materials. The purpose of this study is to assess the mechanical performance of this new type of composite material. A prototype loom was used to weave preforms with a rectangular cross-section where all warp and weft yams were fully interlaced in plain weave. Tensile, compressive, out-of-plane, shear and flexural properties of the composite flat beam specimens were tested. The in-plane stiffness and strength were found to be lower, while the out-of-plane properties were higher compared to conventional 2D laminates. In terms of strength, it was not possible to quantify the difference, since the specimens with 3D woven material exhibited other failure modes than those tested for. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.