Author:

Keywords:

textile composite, transverse cracking, finite element analysis (FEA), multiscale modelling, weft yarn damage, woven fabric composites, textile composites, homogenization, element, components, simulation, Science & Technology, Technology, Materials Science, Composites, Materials Science, Textile composite, Transverse cracking, Finite element analysis (FEA), Multiscale modelling, Weft yarn damage, TEXTILE COMPOSITES, SIMULATION, finite element analysis (fea), 09 Engineering, Materials, 40 Engineering

Abstract:

This study forms the second part of a paper on the local damage analysis in a thermo-plastic 5-harness satin weave composite under uni-axial static tensile load. The experimental observations of Part I are confronted with the meso-FE simulations. Part II describes the following steps regarding the unit cell meso-FE modelling starting from: (1) construction of the unit cell geometrical model; (2) estimation of the homogenized elastic constants of the unit cell using different boundary conditions; (3) evaluation of the local stress and damage behavior of the unit cell using meso-FE simulations. The aim of the numerical analysis is to investigate the dependency of local ply stress and damage profiles on the adjacent layers of the laminate. In order to reflect the constraints posed by the surrounding plies, depending on the ply placement in the laminate (inside/surface), different unit cell geometrical models with suitable boundary conditions were used for the FE analysis. From the numerical simulations it is observed that: (a) the homogenized elastic constants of the unit cell vary considerably depending on the boundary conditions used for the unit cell FE analysis; (b) intra-yarn stress and damage profiles are sensitive to the unit cell model as well as the boundary conditions used for the FE analysis.