Tow Collapse Model for Compression Strength of Textile Composites

The unidirectional composite compression strength model based on microbuckling of fibers embedded in a rigid-plastic matrix was extended to multiaxial laminates and textile composites. The resulting expression is a function of matrix yield strength under the fiber constraint, fiber tow inclination angle, fiber volume fraction, and the area fractions of various sets of inclined tows. The analysis was verified by experimentation. Compression tests were conducted on laminated, three-dimensional triaxially braided and orthogonally woven composites using the IITRI test specimen. The laminate specimens were made up of AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy composite with (0)24, (0/30/0/ - 30)35, and [(0/90)6/0)]s stacking sequence. Textile composites were made of BASF G30-500 graphite fiber tows (tow size is 6K) and Dow Chemicals Tactix 123 matrix. Fiber preform architecture of braided and woven composites before resin consolidation was 0/ + 17 and 0/90, respectively and after consolidation it was about (7/ + 20) and (5/90/90), respectively. The analysis agreed reasonably well with the test data for all cases considered. The axial fiber/tow misalignment angle for laminated, braided, and woven composites were about 4, 7, and 5 degrees, respectively. The compression strength was found to be strongly dependent on the percentage of axial tows and its misalignment angle. A small variation in the off-axis fiber/tow orientation had marginal effect on the compression strength. Hence, the off-axis tow misalignment angle can be assumed to be same as the initial laminate or the tow orientation angle.