Abstract
The 8-shape 3D composites were fabricated by using 3D woven fabrics of glass fibers as the reinforcement and unsaturated polyester resin as the matrix with hand lay-up molding technique. In the fabric, two groups of binder yarns in warp direction, connecting top and bottom skins, form 8 shape. The four-point bending property was tested. The supporting methods, including warp- and weft-supporting, were analyzed according to the direction of 8 shape in fabrics in this study. Experimental results showed that the onset fractures of weft-supporting method were larger than that of warp-supporting method. Under the same displacement, the load increased with the addition of thickness for all supporting methods. Moreover, the selection of the supporting skins of 8-shape composite affected the testing results of the onset fracture and the Young’s modulus.