Effect of the nano-filler content on the compressive strength of continuous carbon fibre/epoxy matrix composites

The axial compressive strength of continuous fibres reinforced composite laminates is a key design parameter. Adding nano-fillers to polymer matrices should increase this property but compressive failure modes may change with increasing the nano-filler content. Significant improvement of the compressive strength is observed with increasing nano-filler content. It is also shown that a single experimental tensile test on ±45∘ coupons makes it possible to estimate the compressive strength regardless of the nano-filler content. Indeed, the results of such a test include, on the one hand, a shear failure strain that indicates the type of failure mode in compression, and, on the other hand, a non-linear shear behaviour that is used in a corresponding fibre micro-buckling model.