Interlaminar fracture toughness of a quasi 3D braided composite

Fiber reinforced composite materials are a heavily sought after material for next generation vehicles for light-weighting components due to their high specific strength and stiffness. However, these materials have relatively weak interlaminar strength and are prone to delamination. This is especially the case when a delamination crack already exists. Quasi-3D (Q3D) braided composites seek to solve this issue by weaving the bias tows into the...