Abstract
Woven fabric composites with spread tow may induce better resin mechanical properties than the conventional woven architectures. The tow structure makes it possible to insert more carbon fiber into a given volume. And, the straight fibers with reduced crimp angle optimize and strengthen the composite. Furthermore, fewer crimps in the composite reduce the amount of excess plastic, which minimizes weight. However, the mechanism of woven fabric composites with spread tow has not been investigated completely. To estimate the effect of a CFRP woven laminates with spread tow, we have carried out the static bending test for woven fabric composites with/without spread tow. As a result, the characterization of a woven fabric composites with spread tow have characteristics is different from that of conventional woven laminates. And, it is revealed that the mesh superposition method is useful for the estimation of mechanical properties for woven fabric composites with spread tow.
