The influence of fiber volume content on the mechanical properties of two-dimensional (2D) plain carbon-fiber woven composites is a crucial concern that necessitates immediate attention for large-scale applications in wind turbine blades. In this study, various mechanical tests were conducted on 2D plain carbon-fiber woven composites with different fiber volume contents, and the influences of fiber volume content on the mechanical properties and failure mode of the composite material were analyzed. Using carbon fiber as reinforcement and epoxy resin as a matrix, three types of plates with fiber volume contents of 47%, 50% and 53% were fabricated by using autoclave technology. The tensile, compression and interlaminar shear tests of the two-dimensional woven composites were carried out using MTS series testing machines. The influences of fiber volume content on tensile strength and modulus, compressive strength and modulus, interlaminar shear strength and shear strain energy were investigated. Additionally, the progressive damage development of these two-dimensional woven composites under different stress states was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the tensile strength and compressive strength increase almost linearly with the increase in fiber volume content, while the interlaminar shear strength increases slowly at low fiber volume content and rapidly at high fiber volume content. The tensile modulus of elasticity slightly increases as the fiber volume content increases, whereas the compressive modulus remains stable at low fiber volume content but gradually decreases at high fiber volume content. With the increase in fiber volume content, the shear strain energy of the specimen increases significantly.
Keywords: 2D plain-pattern carbon-fiber woven composites; fiber volume fraction; mechanical performance; progressive damage evolution.