Mechanical behaviour prediction in plain weave composites

Abstract

The correct application of woven fabric composites requires an accurate knowledge of their mechanical behaviour, in terms of both global stiffness and strength. The aim of this paper is the development of a finite element (FE) approach to the description of the mechanical response starting from the actual mesostructure of the material. Experimental observations identified the unit cell on the basis of symmetry considerations. Different stacking configurations of the unit cell were considered. A global-local procedure was used to reduce the computational effort without losing computational accuracy. A damage model of the material under tensile load was defined and implemented in the FE code. A comparison with experimental stress-strain curves validates the approach proposed.