[en] Cyclic fatigue tests were performed at ambient temperature on a Nicalon/SiC composite to study the effects of fabric orientation on the mechanical behavior. Four-point bend specimens were loaded either parallel or normal to the braided fabric plies. The maximum stresses chosen during the fatigue tests were 60, 70, and 80% of the monotonic strengths, respectively, in both orientations. Specimen failure did not occur in any case even after one million loading cycles. However, it was observed that much of the decrease in the composite modulus occurred in the first few (<10) cycles, and the fabric orientation did not significantly affect the effective modulus or midspan deflection trends