Interlaminar shear stress distribution between nested layers of plain weave composites

Abstract During the manufacture of woven fabric composites, fabric layup and lateral compression may cause fabric layers to nest with each other and compact altering the mechanical behavior of the composite. In this work, nesting and layer compaction were geometrically defined and their mechanistic impact on the interlaminar shear distribution was analyzed. Neighboring layers of plain weaves were geometrically modeled to nest with one another via a relative in‐plane horizontal translation, an out‐of‐plane vertical translation, forcing them into valleys of neighboring layers, and vertical compaction. The normal stress distribution within each layer was mapped and used to obtain the interlaminar shear stress distribution between layers utilizing a strain energy density approach. Four‐point flexural tests were carried out and the average value of the normal stress in different layers at failure was used to evaluate the interlaminar shear strength. It was found that nesting reduces the interlaminar shear stress between layers, while compaction of nested layers reduces the variation in the stress distribution within the layer itself. Failure occurs when the interlaminar shear stress exceeds the shear strength of the matrix material between the layers. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1838–1845, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers