Static pull and push bending properties of RTM-made TWF composite tee-joints

This paper deals with static pull and push bending tests on two-dimensional (2D) orthogonal EW220/5284 twill weave fabric (TWF) composite tee-joints processed with the resin transfer moulding (RTM) technique. Static pull and push bending properties are determined and failure initiation mechanism is deduced from experimental observations. The experiments show that the failure initiation load, on average, is greater for push bending than for pull bending, whereas the scatter is smaller for push bending than for pull bending. The failure mode of RTM-made tee-joints in pull bending tests can be reckoned to be characteristic of debonding of resin matrix at the interface between the triangular resin-rich zone and the curved web of tee-joint until complete separation of the curved web from the bottom plate. In contrast, as distinct from the products subject to pull bending loading, the RTM tee-joints in push bending tests experience matrix cracking and fibre fracture from outer layers to inner layers of the bottom plate until catastrophic collapse resulting from the bending. Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models are presented to simulate the load transfer path and failure initiation mechanism of RTM-made TWF composite tee-joint based on the maximum stress criterion. Good correlation between experimental and numerical results is achieved.