Paper number 1283

STRENGTH, CRACK INITIATION AND CRACK PROPAGATION IN FABRIC BASED FLEXIBLE AND SEMIFLEXIBLE COMPOSITES

C-H Andersson1,2 T Dartman1,2 G Langstedt3 K Eng4 and J Asplund5

1Dept of Production and Materials Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund,
2 IFP, Swedish Institute of Fibre and Polymer Research, P.O.Box 104, SE-431 22 Mölndal
3LINLAN COMPOSITE AB, Fabriksvägen 2, SE-245 34 Staffanstorp
4ENGTEX AB, SE-565 00 Mullsjö
5Trelleborg Industri AB, SE-231 81 Trelleborg

Summary Flexible composite materials is a class of engineering materials based on load bearing fibres tensile strength and stiffness in matrix materials with capability of large strain deformation and low bending stiffness. Coated fabrics, tyres and hoses are examples of typical products. The possible extreme fracture toughness is due to meso-structures distributing the concentrated loading over some volume of material and thus creating complex energy absorbing deformation and fracture mechanisms. Limited infiltration into twisted or blown yarns gives a core of free fibres, distributing concentrated loads over some additional volume of material. Properties obtained from fabrics of woven and knitted types are compared. Semiflexible composite materials are based on these meso-structures and conventional matrix material. Initiation and propagation of fracture is studied. The tensile properties of semiflexible composites with controlled limited infiltration from fast processing of thermoplastic split-film co-knitted preforms.
Keywords flexible composites, semiflexible composites, woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, fracture, damage resistance, initiation of damage, crack propagation.

Theme : Textiles ; Design and Processing

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