Increasing Necking Strain through Corrugation: Identifying Composite Systems That Can Benefit from Corrugated Geometry

Under some circumstances, composites with a corrugated reinforcement geometry show larger necking strains compared to traditional straight reinforced composites. In this work, finite element modeling studies were performed for linearly hardening materials, examining the effect of material parameters on the stress–strain response of both corrugation and straight-reinforced composites. These studies showed that improvements in necking strain depend on the ability of the corrugation to unbend and to provide a boost in work hardening at the right time. It was found that there is a range of matrix yield strengths and hardening rates for which a corrugated geometry will improve the necking strain and also a lower threshold of reinforcement yield strength below which no improvement in necking strain is possible. In addition, benefit maps and surfaces were generated that show which regions of property space benefit through corrugation and the corresponding improvement in necking strain that can be achieved.