A Study on Mechanical Strength and Failure of Fabric Reinforced Polymer Composites

The paper presents a study on influence of different fabric weave and fabric orientation on strength properties of fiber reinforced polymer composites. The research concerns materials used in a new type of rotorcraft. Four series of laminates were fabricated with hand forming, using the MGS L285/H285 epoxy resin. Triple-kind experiments were performed: the Shore hardness measurements, tensile strength testing and fractographic analysis. The specimens of different series shown various strength and stiffness characteristics, depending on the type of weave and fabric layup. Three different failure schemes were observed. The Poisson coefficient was different among series, as well, but no understandable link to specimen morphology could be found so far. Fractographic observations suggested intralaminar delamination.