A Study of the Mechanical Properties of Biaxial and Triaxial Braided Composites for an Automotive Propeller Shaft

Abstract

Composite materials using braided fiber reinforcements have received a great deal of interest for the realization of a lightweight, energy-saving automobile. While studies have been published to characterize composite materials manufactured by winding or prepreg processes, the performance of braided composites has yet to be fully evaluated in the literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the properties of braided composites. Biaxial and triaxial braided carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites were fabricated to characterize their mechanical properties. Tension, shear, compression, and impact tests were performed on the CFRP composite samples. The mean tensile strengths of the biaxial and triaxial braids were 108.5 MPa and 359.6 MPa, respectively. The mean shear strengths of triaxial braids were 99.3 MPa, while the mean shear strength of the biaxial braids was 91.8 MPa. The mean compressive strength of the triaxial braided composite was 295.8 MPa, three times higher than the compressive strength of the biaxial braided composite. The absorbed energy was 13.1 J (4.37 J/mm) for the triaxial composite and 12.0 J (4.00 J/mm) for the biaxial composite. The results of experiments showed that the axial tows of the triaxial braids enhanced the mechanical properties of the composites. The triaxial braided composites appear to be well-suited for use as a material for the fabrication of automotive propeller shafts.