Effect of through-thickness compressive stress and porosity on the tensile strength of carbon-fibre reinforced composites

International audienceLow and high-porosity cross-ply CFRP specimens are manufactured by modifying the autoclave curing cycle. A custom compression setup is designed and integrated with an electromechanicaltensile rig to allow biaxial testing of the material. Tensile strength of the specimens is tested at different levels of applied through-thickness compression. A reduction of tensile strength due to through-thickness compression is observed. This effect is magnified by the presence of porosity. The ply level stress state is analysed through a three-dimensional finite element contact simulation