Effects of mean stress and fibre volume content on the fatigue-induced damage mechanisms in CFRP

Julia Maier, Gerald Pinter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The effect of the load type (tension and compression) in quasi-static and of the applied mean stress in fatigue tests on the mechanical behaviour and on the damage mechanisms in unidirectional (UD) carbon/epoxy laminates has been studied in combination with the influence of fibre volume content. Results show that the fibre volume content increases the mechanical properties in tension–tension fatigue tests for all tested angles 0°, 45° and 90°. The tensile damage mechanisms of off-axis specimens depend on the fibre volume content and change from matrix cracking and matrix–fibre debonding to fibre-pull out with an increasing amount of fibres as investigated in detail in a previous work. In tension–compression tests, higher fibre volume contents are only beneficial in fatigue tests at angles of 0° and 45°. Fatigue strengths of UD 90° specimens in tension–compression tests are not significantly improved by the fibre volume content which can be ascribed to breakage of entire fibre bundles and crushed fibres on the fracture surfaces.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)28-38
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Journal of Fatigue
Volume75.2015
Issue numberJune
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 7 Feb 2015

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