The effect of the through-thickness yarn component on the in- and out-of-plane properties of composites from 3D orthogonal woven preforms

Development of three-dimensional (3D) weaving technology introduced new and enhanced features to the 2D weaving technology. 3D Orthogonal Woven (3DOW) preforms have a through-thickness yarn component that significantly enhances the out-of-plane properties and delamination resistance. In this study, a range of 3DOW E-glass preforms were woven using 3D weaving technology and then converted into composites, using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding technology. The composite samples had varying Z to Y-yarn/ layer ratio, the objective is to study the effect of changing the Z to Y-yarn/ layer ratio on the in-plane and out-of-plane mechanical properties. The study concludes that changing the amount of Z-yarn in the structure has negligible effect on the tensile (in-plane), yet, it has a significant effect on the drop weight impact properties (out-of-plane). Moreover, it had a strong effect on the failure mechanisms, and as the amount of Z-yarn is reduced, delamination became more significant.