3D weaving and consolidation of carbon fibre T-piece stringers

3D woven textile reinforced composites allow the optimisation and tailoring of specific material properties into the final component. This paper investigates composite T-section specimens for energy absorption in tensile and Quasi-static crush tests. 3D multi-layer reinforcements were manufactured on a textile loom with mechanical modifications to produce preforms with fibres orientated in the warp, weft and through-the-thickness directions. Mechanical and physical testing was then conducted to quantify the tow geometry, orientation and the effect of compaction during manufacture. The T-section specimens were manufactured using T300 800tex carbon fibre to produce a 3D orthogonal weave with six layers before impregnation with an epoxy resin system. 2D laminate layups with twelve layers were also manufactured and tested as a comparison. It was found that the 3D woven specimens provided better energy absorption than the 2D laminate specimens.