Mechanical performance of carbon-fibre braided composite tubes in tension and compression

Abstract

This article examines the effect of braid angle on the mechanical performance of carbon-epoxy braided tubes in tension and compression. Vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding is used to produce a variety of tubes with several combinations of 15◦and 20◦ braid angles. As uniaxial tensile testing of cylindrical tubes is not trivial, two tensile testing fixture designs are explored. It is found that a combination of mechanical and adhesive gripping produces repeatable fractures between the grips, with no slipping. Tubes with lower braid angles exhibit higher strengths both in tension and compression, as well as absorbing greater amounts of energy in compression.