Multi-scale simulation and finite-element-assisted computation of elastic properties of braided textile reinforced composites

Abstract

This article deals with the computation of effective elastic properties of braided textile composites assisted by finite element analysis. In this approach, dynamic representative unit cells are first constructed to model typical geometry of braided textile preform. After establishing the elastic properties of braiding yarns, the effective Young’s moduli, shear moduli and Poisson’s ratios corresponding to varying braiding angles are obtained by analysing these geometric models of preform with the help of the commercial finite element analysis code Abaqus. Effects of fibre volume fraction on the elastic properties of both biaxial and triaxial composite unit cells are also examined. Finally, the bending behaviour of a simply supported beam with braided composite skin is evaluated via the finite element analysis assisted multi-scale modelling, which is further verified experimentally. The predicted results were compared favourably with the experiment, backing the accuracy of the proposed modelling approach.

Prediction of the mechanical behavior of flax polypropylene composites based on multi-scale finite element analysis

“…4a). For the calculation of the homogenized elastic constants and the strength values of unidirectional flax/polypropylene ply, the periodic boundary conditions devised by Ji et al [28] were adopted. The boundary condition for the prediction of longitudinal tensile properties is illustrated in Fig.…”

Modelling of Damage Evolution in Braided Composites: Recent Developments

“…This section introduces some recent predictive models developed by various authors to evaluate damage of braided composites under static loading. (Dai and Cunningham 2016); c the mosaic model (Dai and Cunningham 2016); d the sub-cell model (Wan et al 2015); e CATIA (Gideon et al 2015); f SolidWorks (Ji et al 2014) Criteria for failure initiation A typical progressive-damage model (PDM) comprises three parts: stress analysis, failure analysis and materialproperty degradation (Zhou et al 2013). These parts are implemented in an iterative procedure performed until the final failure occurs.…”

“…Also, realistic meso-geometrical configurations were ignored in the topological methods. Recently, virtual descriptions of the geometries of braided textiles were developed using 3D SolidWorks and CATIA (Ji et al 2014;Wang et al 2016b). These versatile geometric unit cells were highly flexible and dynamic in nature, capable of simulating textile tightening, accommodated by yarn deformation and spatial constraint.…”

“…These versatile geometric unit cells were highly flexible and dynamic in nature, capable of simulating textile tightening, accommodated by yarn deformation and spatial constraint. The unit-cell geometries were then fed into FE analysis packages to determine their individual and continuum-mechanical characteristics (Ji et al 2014).…”

Strength prediction for bi-axial braided composites by a multi-scale modelling approach

“…Zero-thickness cohesive elements (COH3D8) were located at the fibre/epoxy interfaces. As a unit cell is a small RUC of the yarn, the use of periodic boundary conditions (PBCs) devised by Xia et al [32] is essential. In terms of the unit cell studied here, the PBCs and minimization of mesh mismatches were achieved through increasing the number of unit cells analysed in a single simulation, while merging mismatched nodes on contacting faces.…”