Biomimetic polypropylene-carbon intra-ply hybrid 3d woven composite with enhanced impact resistance

Weatherburn, Anna; Montgomery, Callum; Scott, George; Ralph, Calvin; Girkin, John; McGarrigle, Cormac; McIlhagger, Alistair; Archer, Edward; Szyniszewski, Stefan

Abstract

In this study, a nacre-inspired carbon-polypropylene 3D woven composite is developed. The biomimetic ’brick-and-mortar’ design is implemented by interlacing softer polypropylene yarns with brittle carbon fibres. This novel composite was benchmarked against a standard carbon fibre 3D woven composite with identical weave architecture, examining tensile properties, impact resistance, and shear strength. The comparative analysis was supported by micrographs and μ CT scans. Results showed that the hybrid composite absorbed 16% more impact energy in the weft direction than its purely carbon counterpart. The presence of polypropylene yarns increased crimp within the weave contributing to reduced tensile and shear properties. However, the increased crack surface area due to this increased crimp explains the improved impact resistance. The study identifies the bulk factor of polypropylene yarns as critical in minimising crimp and structural flaws in the hybrid design. In summary, this work presents a nature-inspired hybrid composite, with an increased impact resistance but with trade-offs in tensile and shear properties.

Citation

Weatherburn, A., Montgomery, C., Scott, G., Ralph, C., Girkin, J., McGarrigle, C., McIlhagger, A., Archer, E., & Szyniszewski, S. (2025). Biomimetic polypropylene-carbon intra-ply hybrid 3d woven composite with enhanced impact resistance. Composite Structures, 366, Article 119177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.119177

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 7, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Apr 23, 2025
• Publication Date: Aug 15, 2025
• Deposit Date: May 13, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 13, 2025
• Journal: Composite Structures
• Print ISSN: 0263-8223
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-1085
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 366
• Article Number: 119177
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.119177
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3901127