An Overview of the Mechanical Properties of 3D Woven Fabrics-Reinforced Composites

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in scientific research on 3D textiles as reinforcements for composite materials, due to their unique mechanical properties compared to multilayer 2D textiles. Most textile-reinforced composites are fabricated by placing several layers of two-dimensional fabrics. They have low resistance to delamination under impact forces and their mechanical properties, especially fatigue properties and compressive strength, are seriously reduced after impact. To prevent these problems, it is necessary to strengthen the composite in the third dimension. If three-dimensional textiles are used, the desired thickness, which requires many layers in two-dimensional textiles, can be obtained with fewer layers, resulting in the production of lighter structures with desirable physical and mechanical properties, as well as suitable thermal insulation properties. 3D textile-reinforced composites show different failure modes than laminated composites due to their complex structural properties and mechanical properties. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of previous research works on the tensile, compressive, flexural, shear, and impact properties of three-dimensional composites reinforced with 3D woven fabrics for better understanding the behavior of these types of composites in various applications.