ABSTRACT
Fabric reinforcement offers some advantages with respect to laminates made of unidirectional composites, including ease of lay-up, superior damage tolerance, and impact resistance of the resulting composite. The vast majority of the literature focuses on plain weave fabrics but twill, satin, and basket weaves (Figure ) are becoming popular because of their superior drapability. An introduction to fabric (textile) reinforcements and the nomenclature used to describe them is given in Sections 2.4.2–2.4.3.
