A Numerical Approach to Predict the Mechanical Behaviour of Woven Fabric Composites

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical tool for the design of the composites structures that allows to predict the mechanical behaviour of woven fabric composites, both in terms of global stiffness and damage process, and therefore to optimise the components dimensions and weight. Starting from an accurate study of the mesostructure of the material, finite element models are developed. To reduce the computational effort, a submodeling technique was used by employing two separate meshes: global and local meshes. Two idealised configurations are examined: they have a circular warp and fill yarn path and a lenticular cross-section. The mechanical response is estimated in terms of global stiffness and stress-strain curves of plain weave composites by simulating the damage process. The agreement between the FE global stiffness and experimental and analytical data is good. The FE results are very sensitive to the curvature of the yarns. Similar results were obtained for the FE stress-strain curves.