Influence of multiaxial loading and temperature on the fatigue behaviour of 2D braided thick-walled composite structures

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

While size effects in composite structures have been widely studied under quasi-static uniaxial loading, their influence under fatigue conditions, particularly in the presence of multiaxial stress states and elevated temperatures, remains insufficiently understood. This study investigates the fatigue behaviour of thick-walled ±45° braided glass fibre-reinforced polyurethane composite box structures under varying temperature and loading conditions. A combined experimental approach is adopted, coupling quasi-static and fatigue tests on large-scale structures with reference data from standardised coupon specimens. The influence of temperature (23–80 °C) and multiaxial shear–compression loading is systematically evaluated. The results demonstrate a significant temperature-dependent decrease in compressive strength and fatigue life, with a linear degradation trend that aligns closely between the box structure and coupon data. Under moderate multiaxial conditions, the fatigue life of box structures is not significantly impaired compared to uniaxial test coupon specimens. Complementary non-destructive testing using air-coupled ultrasound confirms these trends, demonstrating that guided-wave phase-velocity measurements capture the evolution of anisotropic damage and are therefore suitable for in situ structural health monitoring applications. Furthermore, these findings highlight that (i) the temperature-dependent fatigue behaviour of thick-walled composites can be predicted using small-scale coupon data and (ii) small shear components have a limited impact on fatigue life within the studied loading regime.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number481
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Composites Science
Volume9
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - 4 Sept 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-0361-4596/work/191533775
ORCID /0000-0003-1370-064X/work/191532226
Scopus 105017243960
WOS 001580179000001

Keywords

Keywords

  • composites, thick-walled structures, manufacturing, braiding technology, multiaxial testing, size effect, non-destructive testing, ultrasonic testing, automation