Macro-Level Fabric Deformation Modes

The hierarchy of deformation modes for this family of composite materials can be divided into three categories prepieg flow mechanisms, macro-level fabric deformation modes, and micro-level fabric deformation modes, each of which contains a number of different mechanisms. 

When the textile fabric reinforcement is combined with the matrix to form the composite prepregs, a set of deformation modes are introduced, which may be referred to as top-level deformation modes since they involve the movements of the reinforcement (macro- and micro-level fabric deformation mechanisms) and the matrix. They are in fact the conformation modes of the composite prepreg sheet or group of sheets, as is usually the case, during the forming process. The hierarchy of the top-level deformation modes consist of transverse flow, resin percolation, interply shear and intraply shear, as summarized by Cogswell and revisited by Martin et 

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The four types of macro-level fabric deformation modes, as shown in Figure 8, describe the deformations observed when looking at the fabric as a whole. However, the way in which each fabric complies to these modes is different and can be attributed to the deformations occurring within the textile structure itself. These sub-structure or micro-level deformation modes are the real mechanisms behind textile deformations and need to be identified in order to understand the material s behavior. 

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