Through-the-thickness reinforcement for composite structures: A review

Abstract

Three-dimensional preforms have been developed in order to remedy and minimize the out-of-plane damage caused by 2D structures. Several researches have been done on more complex structures which have more interesting mechanical characteristics through-the-thickness. A wide spectrum of 3D textile technologies encompassing weaving, knitting, stitching, z-pinning, tufting, etc. is used to manufacture through-the-thickness reinforced materials. This kind of reinforcement aims to achieve a balance between the in-plane and out-of-plane properties. Recently, tufting shows more opportunities to develop through-the-thickness reinforcements especially with the advances in devices from manual to fully automatic. In literature, the mechanical behaviour of tufted composites has been one of the main subjects, however, few studies outline the mechanical behaviour of dry tufted fabrics. Dry stage is an essential step to understand the influence of through-the-thickness reinforcement and the formability of multilayer preforms. In this context, the present paper reviews the various technologies of through-the-thickness reinforcement as well as the microstructural defects related to both the impregnation and the kind of reinforcement. Also, this work highlights the mechanical performance of tufted 3D structures at dry and composite scales.

Development and Multiscale Characterization of 3D Warp Interlock Flax Fabrics with Different Woven Architectures for Composite Applications

“…Fibers 2020, 8, 15 2 of 14composites. These works showed that the architecture of the reinforcement has a preponderant role on the mechanical properties of the composite.Generally, 3D architectures can be obtained by combining multi-layers of stacked 2D fabric with a through-the-thickness fiber reinforcement, introduced using stitching, z-pining, or tufting technologies [10][11][12]. Another technology is the 3D warp interlock weaving, in which multi-layers of in-plane yarns are bound together by a group of binding warp yarns according to a specific architecture (light blue in Figure 1) [13].…”

Carbon nanotubes in carbon/epoxy multiscale textile preform composites: A review

“…Although carbon fiber reinforced polymers have been reported to possess good mechanical properties in the warp and filling direction, it is through-the-thickness, direction had suffered low intralaminar properties as a form of splitting or intraand inter-laminar delamination. [15,16] To improve the out-of-plane properties of the TSC, z-fiber was basically introduced to two dimensional (2D) biaxial textile fabric by using stitching, [17] three dimensional (3D) weaving, [18][19][20] 3D braiding, [21] and 3D nonwoven techniques. [16] Recently, single or multiwall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs or MWCNTs) were developed by using various techniques such as arc discharge, [22][23][24][25] laser ablation, [26][27][28] or chemical vapor deposition (CVD).…”

Interlaminar fracture toughness of a quasi 3D braided composite

“…There have been many proposed solutions for increasing the fracture toughness of laminated composites, and two of the most common methods include stitching [1][2][3] and z-pinning. 3,4 In both of these methods, the composite preform is first compiled, and the through-thickness reinforcement is later inserted into the preform. These reinforcements are also typically inserted orthogonal to the fibers in the laminate, purely in the 3-direction respective to the fibers.…”