Mechanical Structure Investigations of Woven and Knitted Carbon Fiber- Reinforced Polymer Composites

In this study, polymer matrices were reinforced with carbon fabric obtained by weaving and knitting carbon filaments. Different industries reported that filament unwinding occurred in woven carbon fiber composites. In composite manufacturing where woven fabric is required, the laying and manufacturing processes are challenging due to the dispersion of the fabric. With the knotted chain structure of the knit, it is easier to apply epoxy to the fabric as desired and to convert it into a composite. Especially when it is possible to produce the knit-ted chains tightly and as a whole during the knitting process, it is possible for the product converted into a composite to exhibit higher strength. In this study, the effects of weaving and knitting methods on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced composites were investigated. Mechanical properties were examined in woven and knitted structures for carbon fiber composite materials with different densities and thicknesses. Single-layer composite was produced using 3-layer 200 g/m2 plain woven fabric, 200 g/m2 and 245 g/m2 twill carbon fiber woven fabric as woven fabric. Carbon fabric with 1x1, 2x1, and 3x1 inter-lock knit structures were knitted so that it could be compared with weaving. The carbon fabrics obtained from woven and knitted filaments were turned into car-bon fiber-reinforced composites produced by vacuum infusion. Tensile and three-point bending tests of carbon fiber-reinforced composites were carried out within the scope of experimental studies. The fracture surfaces of the composite plates obtained were investigated via FESEM and EDS analyses. The highest ten-sile strength values were achieved in 245 g/ m2 twill weave and 3x1 interlock knitted carbon composite samples. In the knitted samples used, no dissolution problem was observed in the knitted structure.