COMPRESSION-COMPRESSION FATIGUE OF 3D WOVEN COMPOSITES

Polymer composites with 3D woven graphite fiber reinforcement (3D interlock weaves) have been tested in compression-compression fatigue under load control. As under monotonic loading, the principal mechanism of failure is kink band formation in the primary load bearing tows. Observations of kink bands and microcracking in sectioned specimens suggest that fatigue progresses by the accumulation of damage to the resin within individual tows. It is conjectured that resin damage leads to failure by lowering the critical stress for kink band formation on a single cycle. If resin damage is assumed to accumulate at a rate proportional to some power of the local axial shear stress in a misaligned tow, then a simple formula follows for the cycles to kink band formation. Under load control, only a few kink bands are required for specimen failure. Then the formula is also the basis for estimates of fatigue life. Fatigue life data and measured misalignment angles, which determine the local axial shear stress, support the fatigue model.