The effects of wrinkle distributions on the mechanical characteristics of unidirectional glass fiber-reinforced composites

Wrinkle defects are major manufacturing defects that can reduce the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composites, especially their compressive strength. There are differences in the effects of various wrinkle distributions on compression failure. In this work, unidirectional glass fiber-reinforced samples with different thicknesses and wrinkle distributions were manufactured and tested. The corresponding high-fidelity three-dimensional finite element (FE) models are established and combined with a progressive damage analysis method to reveal compression failure behavior. The accuracy of the FE analysis method is verified by combining experimental results. Then, the parameter analyses are conducted to study the effects of wrinkle distributions on the knockdown in compressive mechanical properties, with some corresponding conclusions drawn. The results indicate that the dependence of compressive strength on various wrinkle distributions can be determined.