The influence of yarn fiber volume fraction, shear angle, and yarn spacing on crack propagation resistance of plain‐woven fabric‐reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract This study investigated the effect of fabric parameters on crack propagation in plain‐woven e‐glass reinforced epoxy composite plates. Through numerical analyses, the study contributes to understanding the effect of fabric structure on crack propagation and adopting a more precise approach in the design of composite materials. The yarn fiber volume fraction, shear angle, and yarn spacing parameters were selected as variables for the plain‐woven fabric, and material properties were determined for each parameter using the composite homogenization method. A finite element model was created using the Ansys software package, and stress intensity factors (SIFs) and tear stress values were obtained under mode I loading to investigate the effects of fabric structure on crack propagation. The results showed that as the yarn fiber volume fraction ratio increased, the SIF values decreased and the T‐stress values increased. When evaluated according to the shear angle of the yarn, the lowest SIF value was obtained for the 0‐degree shear angle. The same was observed for T‐stress values as well. Additionally, compared to the fabric structure aligned along the X ‐axis, a significant decrease occurred in the SIF value due to the perpendicular fiber density increase to the crack propagation direction with symmetric orientation.