Abstract
Corrugated-form composites manufactured from carbon fiber plain woven fabrics are expected to show ultra-anisotropic characteristics, which means very flexible in the corrugation direction and stiff in the direction perpendicular to the corrugation. In this study, mechanical properties of the corrugated composites were investigated as a candidate material of flexible structural components, e.g. morphing wings. In-plane stiffness and strength of the corrugated composites were evaluated through the tensile and bending tests in both in-plane longitudinal and transverse directions to the corrugation. Experimental results indicated that corrugated fabrics have ultra-high longitudinal/transverse stiffness ratio under tensile and bending loadings. Finally, a simple analytical model for the initial stiffness of the corrugated woven fabrics was developed, and the validity of the predic-tions was verified compared with the experimental results.
