Textile preforms have much to offer in the toughening and manufacture of next generation high-performance structural composites. With a large family of high-performance fibers, linear fiber assemblies, and 2D and 3D fiber architectures, a wide range of composite structural performances may be tailored to meet specific requirements.
An examination of the literature indicated that only a limited number of systematic studies have been carried out on fabric-reinforced CC composites. A well-established data base is needed to stimulate the usage of fabric-reinforced CC composites for structural applications.
The literature suggests a trend toward using 3D fiber architecture for CC composite structural toughening which poses important technical challenges. The first challenge is the question of converting high-modulus yarns to textile structures. The processing difficulty with brittle fibrous structures calls for an innovative combination of materials systems such as the concept of material and geometric hybridization.
The infiltration of placement of matrix material in a dense, 3D fiber network also creates new challenges and demands an understanding of the dynamics of the process-structure interaction. Questions that must be answered relate to the optimum pore geometry for matrix infiltration, the pore distribution, and the bundle size.
As the level of fiber integration increases, the opportunity of fiber-to-fiber contact intensifies at the crossover points. Guidance is required to select the fiber architecture and matrix placement method best suited to reduce the incidence of localized fiber-rich areas.
To take advantage of the attractive features that textile structural composites offer, a sound data base and design methodologies need to be developed. The fabric geometry models developed so far establish a necessary, but not entirely complete, first step in the modeling of CC composites. Future work in the modeling of fabric-reinforced CC composites requires a better understanding of the dynamic interaction among fiber, matrix processing condition, and fiber architecture.
Much of the work on fiber architecture reported herein, and specifically 2D and 3D fiber architecture, has been supported by the office of Naval research and the Air Force.