Shock response of 3D woven composites: An experimental investigation

A modified shock tube was used to determine the effect of shock wave loading on 3D woven composite panels. The shock wave, which produces a short duration steeply rising pressure pulse when impacting the panel, was used to load the panels. The out of plane deformation response was measured using a full field Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The results allow for measurements of full field displacements and strains in the samples. Three distinct textile composite architectures, corresponding to different amounts of Z-fiber (fiber tows that bind the different textile layers together) were investigated. Two separate shock intensities were used. Matrix micro-cracking was observed to be the mechanism by which failure is initiated, and this micro-cracking was found to occur closest to the center of the panel where the outer-surface straining is highest. Fiber tow failure was absent in the shock strengths studied in the present work. The results suggest that the 6% Z-fiber architecture provided the largest panel stiffness and the least amount of damage. This result suggests that this may be the optimal architecture and density for orthogonally woven Z-fiber reinforced composites, however due to the complex nature of the problem the same architecture with a different tow (and fiber) volume fraction may yield different results.