COMPRESSIVE FRACTURE BEHAVIOR IN THICK COMPOSITES

摘要

This work examines the compressive fracture behavior of thick composites. The materials examined were thick composites laminated with up to 180 plies of the carbon/epoxy woven fabric prepreg. To compact the lay-up and to eliminate trapped air, a pressure rolling setup was designed and adopted for materials processing. To conduct the compressive test, an endsupported, end-loaded fixture was used. The growth of cracks was recorded in a regular interval by a camera. By examining the series of photographs, we are able to monitor the creation and growth of fracture in the material and to correlate the facture with the loading curve. The influence of the end support was also studied; some specimens were tested without the support.