Abstract
This work presents a unified micromechanical model for estimating the three-dimensional elastic, elasto-plastic, and strength properties of a plain weft knitted fabric reinforced composite. A bridging matrix is used to correlate the stresses generated in fiber and matrix phases in a representative volume element (RVE) of the composite. With this bridging matrix, the stress in each constituent phase is explicitly expressed as a function of the overall applied stress and all the mechanical properties of the composite are easily derived from the knowledge of the physical and geometric properties of the constituents. The total stress-strain behavior of the composite is obtained based on the stress-strain behaviors of the constituent materials. The composite strength is then defined as the overall applied stress corresponding to which the maximum normal stress in either the fiber or the matrix attains its ultimate value. Good correlation between theoretical and experimental results has been found.
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