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Effects of Periodic Stitching Patterns on the Strain Distribution in Polymer Composites
Abstract
Traditional laminated composite structures suffer from low interlaminar strengths, which may result in delaminations. Stitching through the thickness has demonstrated to reduce the initiation and growth of delamination damage. This study investigates the effects of periodic stitching patterns on the strain distributions in three-dimensional (3D) stitched carbon composite structures. Unstitched and stitched specimens with two different periodic stitching patterns (0o and 90o) were fabricated and tested under uniaxial loading. The surface strain fields were obtained using digital image correlation (DIC). Noticeable differences were seen in the strain distribution of these periodic stitching patterns. The global stiffness of the laminates and the local (near the vicinity of stitching) tensile modulus of elasticity were altered due to stitching. Therefore, periodic stitching gives rise to localized regions of tailored elastic properties.
DOI
10.12783/asc35/34859
10.12783/asc35/34859