The Fatigue Behavior of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composite T300/Epoxy under Tension-Tension and Bending Fatigue Loading

The main objective of this work is to compare the different fracture behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced composite T300/epoxy with cross-play composite laminate. Tension-tension and three points bending fatigue are adopted, with optical microscopic and scanning electron microscopic observation of the specimen fracture surfaces. The specific objectives are: a) for tension-tension fatigue loading, the onset and multiplication of transverse matrix cracks continuously improve the delamination. Consequently, fibers rupture occurs in this locally region with high density of cracks. b) The density of intralaminar cracks increases with number of fatigue cycles. c) During the shear stress distribution under three points bending fatigue, delamination which is the main characteristic of T300/epoxy, initiates from the central and propagates alone the neutral axis of the sample. And a small quantity of fiber breakage occurs in the maximal compress region.