Publications

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Journal Articles

3D tensile fracture analysis tailored fibre placement composites using digital volume correlation

Published in Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, 2025

This study presents the first in-situ tensile testing of a Tailored Fibre Placement (TFP) composite within an X-ray CT microscope, revealing that cracks initiate below 50 % UTS and propagate mainly within fibre bundles along strain concentration bands. Findings show that stitching threads limit delamination, and results provide a basis for optimising manufacturing and laminate design as well as developing physically based multiscale strength prediction models for lightweight structural applications.

Recommended citation: Sun, G., Mitchell, R.L., Chen, Z., Omrani, F., Smith, M., Frias, C., Fairclough, J.P.A. and Pinna, C., 2025. 3D tensile fracture analysis of tailored fibre placement composites using digital volume correlation. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, p.105127.
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Conference Papers

3D characterisation of local deformation and damage development in tailored fibre placement-manufactured composites under tensile loading

Published in SAMPE 2024, 2024

This work, presented at SAMPE 2024 in PPT form, explores the tensile response and 3D strain evolution of TFP‑manufactured CFRP composites using in‑situ μXCT and a newly developed Python‑based DVC algorithm. The methodology reveals how resin‑rich regions around stitching threads influence damage development, providing valuable insight and validation tools for multiscale mechanical modelling.

Recommended citation: Sun, G., Mitchell, R., Chen, Z., Smith, M., Omrani, F., Fairclough, P. and Pinna, C., 2024. 3D characterisation of local deformation and damage development in tailored fibre placement-manufactured composites under tensile loading. In Proceedings of SAMPE Europe 24 (Vol. 2, pp. 1050-1058). SAMPE Europe/Curran Associates.
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3D Characterisation of the Tensile Failure of CFRPs Manufactured Through Tailored Fibre Placement

Published in ICCM23, 2023

This work, presented at ICCM23 in PPT form, investigates the tensile response and 3D damage development in a [0/60/−60]s TFP‑manufactured CFRP composite using in‑situ X‑ray microscopy. Results highlight the critical role of stitching threads in influencing fibre bundle morphology, crack initiation, and propagation, while effectively limiting interlaminar delamination.

Recommended citation: Sun, G., Mitchell, R., Chen, Z., Omrani, F., Smith, M., Fairclough, J.P.A. and Pinna, C., 2023, August. 3D characterisation of the tensile failure of CFRPS manufactured through tailored fibre placement. In Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Composite Materials. Queen's University Belfast.
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