Synergistic effects of graphene reinforcement and weave architectures on the fatigue behavior of woven composites under quasistatic loading

Abstract This study investigates the influence of graphene nanoparticle (GNP) reinforcement on the fatigue behavior of textile structural composites with unidirectional (UD), two-dimensional (2D) satin, and three-dimensional (3D) angle-interlock weave architectures under tensile and flexural cyclic loading. Nanocomposites were fabricated using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), with GNPs incorporated into the epoxy matrix at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 wt%. Fatigue durability was evaluated using a fixed-cycle damage-accumulation protocol, wherein specimens were subjected to 20,000 displacement-controlled loading cycles at 75% of their ultimate static displacement (R = 0), followed by quantitative assessment of residual strength and stiffness to characterize cyclic degradation and structural integrity retention. Results reveal that GNP incorporation markedly enhanced fatigue durability across all architectures, with optimal improvements at 0.15 wt% for flexural loading and 0.2 wt% for tensile loading. Under flexural fatigue, 2D satin composites with 0.15 wt% GNP exhibited a 14% lower reduction in stiffness and 10% higher residual strength than the control. Similarly, 3D angle-interlock composites displayed the highest residual strength retention and minimal stiffness degradation, increasing by 10% and 12%, respectively, at 0.2 wt% GNP. These improvements are attributed to enhanced fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion, efficient stress transfer, and delayed crack initiation facilitated by uniform graphene dispersion and interphase strengthening within the polymer matrix. The comparative results confirm that optimized GNP loading can significantly improve fixed-cycle fatigue durability, residual property retention, and structural resilience of woven fabric composites, offering a promising route for durable, lightweight materials in fatigue-critical applications such as aerospace, transportation, and wind energy systems. Graphical abstract