Theoretical prediction of stiffness and strength of three-dimensional and four-directional braided composites

Based on unit cell model, the 3D 4-directional braided composites can be simplified as unidirectional composites with different local axial coordinate system and the compliance matrix of unidirectional composites can be defined utilizing the bridge model. The total stiffness matrix of braided composites can be obtained by the volume average stiffness of unidirectional composites with different local axial coordinate system and the engineering elastic constants of braided composites were computed further. Based on the iso-strain assumption and the bridge model, the stress distribution of fiber bundle and matrix of different unidirectional composites can be determined and the tensile strength of 3D 4-directional braided composites was predicted by means of the Hoffman＇s failure criterion for the fiber bundle and Mises＇ failure criterion for the matrix.     

树脂基三维编织复合材料粘弹性性能的有限元分析

根据材料的细观结构,采用APDL语言分别建立了纤维束和三维编织复合材料两级单胞的参数化几何模型;推导了Prony级数表示的树脂粘弹性本构方程,对模型进行了组分材料参数设置;对纤维束单胞模型进行扫掠式网格划分,对三维编织复合材料单胞模型进行线-面-体式网格划分;对两级单胞模型均施加合理的边界条件,使单胞边界上的位移满足周期性和连续性。以有限元模型为基础,计算了三维编织复合材料的粘弹性能,并给出了材料粘弹性效应随工艺参数变化的规律。计算结果表明:三维编织复合材料编织方向的粘弹性效应随编织角的增大而增强,随纤维体积比的增大而减弱。该结果与已有实验结论一致。     

三维五向编织复合材料渐进损伤分析及强度预测

基于材料连续体细观结构单胞,提出了材料的三维渐进损伤分析模型,采用非线性有限元方法并结合均匀化平均思想,首次建立了三维五向编织复合材料的强度预测模型。经研究典型编织角材料在拉伸载荷作用下细观损伤的发生及演化过程,分析了材料的细观失效机理,获得了材料的宏观拉伸应力应变曲线和极限破坏强度,并详细探讨了主要工艺参数编织角对材料宏观力学性能的影响规律。     

三维编织复合材料渐进损伤的非线性模型及强度分析

建立了考虑周期性位移边界条件的细观体胞模型,对三维编织复合材料的渐进损伤过程进行数值模拟。采用Eshelby-Mori—Tanaka方法计算含损伤裂纹的材料的剐度矩阵,并将有限元网格尺寸和单元裂纹尺寸引入损伤演化方程,有效地降低了模拟结果对有限元网格的依赖程度。通过计算得到了材料应力应变的非线性关系和失效时的极限强度,并分析了材料的破坏机理。结果表明,大编织角材料的破坏模式主要是基体失效与纤维横向拉剪破坏,模拟计算结果与文献中的实验值吻合较好。     

三维机织复合材料的弹性性能预报模型

建立了基于等效响应比拟技术的三维机织复合材料弹性性能预报模型．首先将三维机织物的结构单元分解为4个子元(经纱、纬纱、填充纱和接结纱),用几何模型去估算这些子元的体积分数．然后依据不同的外载形式,将复合材料的应力-应变关系等效地表达为3组诸子元所组成的三维弹簧网络．根据刚度系数的物理意义,采用不同的弹簧网络连接形式,并按体积平均化方法获得材料总体刚度矩阵中相应的刚度系数,进而计算得到三维机织复合材料的9个弹性系数．该模型考虑了层内交织经纱、层间交织接结纱的弯曲以及材料内部纯树脂区对三维机织复合材料弹性性能的影响．试验结果与模型的理论预测值进行比较,表明这个模型是有效的。     

粘弹性树脂基三维编织复合材料的热膨胀性能研究

首先利用均匀化理论并结合有限元法研究了三维编织复合材料的粘弹性效应,根据松弛模量的计算结果研究了材料热膨胀系数随时间的变化关系,在此基础上,给出了编织结构和工艺参数(编织角、纤维体积比)对材料初始热膨胀系数的影响规律,计算结果与实验值吻合较好。本文工作为深入研究三维编织复合材料的热粘弹性能提供了基础。     

三维多向编织复合材料有效弹性模量的细观计算力学分析

编织复合材料性能预报与材料优化设计研究是纺织复合材料研制开发的重要环节,本文在已建立的三维多向编程复合材料单胞几何模型的基础上,研究建立了含多相介质单元的有限元分析方法,结合实例预报了碳／环氧四向编织复合材料的有效性能并和实验结构进行了对比。     

随机孔隙缺陷对3D编织复合材料力学性能的影响研究

3D编织复合材料经RTM工艺成型将难以避免产生孔隙缺陷,孔隙缺陷主要包括纤维束内干斑和富树脂区孔隙。经分析RTM工艺孔隙缺陷的产生机理,提出了随机孔隙缺陷分布模型,建立了基于细观胞元的含孔隙缺陷有限元分析模型,并应用概率统计方法,分析了缺陷的随机分布和孔隙率对材料等效弹性性能的影响,可为3D编织复合材料力学性能的设计提供依据。     

Experimental and analytical characterization of multidimensionally braided graphite/epoxy composites

This paper presents results of an investigation of a novel, through-the-thickness fiber-reinforced composite material. The generic name for this composite technology is multidimensional (X-D) braiding. X-D braided composites consist of a net-shaped, densely braided fiber skeleton which is rigidized with a structural epoxy-resin system. This material is an alternative to the conventional laminated composite and has the potential for being more resistant to delamination and matrix cracking. This paper describes results of the mechanical characterization of one graphite fiber system which was braided into panels in which two braid parameters could be investigated. The variables investigated included the effect of edge condition and braid pattern on the tensile, compressive and flexural properties of the braided panels. These properties were obtained in the braid direction only. The cutting of the specimen edges substantially reduced both tensile and flexural strengths and moduli. Of the three braid patterns investigated, 1×1, 3×1, and 1×1×1/2 F, the 3×1 braid pattern showed superior tensile performance, while the 1×1×1/2 F braid pattern exhibited superior flexural properties. The development of an analytical method for modeling the tensile performance of the multidimensionally (X-D) braided composite is also presented. The fiber geometry in X-D braids was modeled based on the braid parameters used in the construction of these composites. By the nature of the symmetry of the resulting braided structure, an analytical model based on classical lamination theory was used to determine the extensional stiffness in the three principal geometric directions of a braided composite. These analytical results are shown to compare favorably with those obtained experimentally. Finally, to further validate the ability of this material to contain damage, multidimensionally braided and conventionally laminated panels were impacted and the resulting damage was nondestructively determined. The multidimensionally braided material was shown to reduce the area of damage caused by impact by a factor of three for the energy levels tested.     

The averaged mechanical properties of prismatic lattice formed by ellipsoidal inclusions

Summary The objective of this paper is to evaluate the averaged elastic properties of 3-D grained composites in which identical inclusions form a prismatic network interacting with the matrix material. The inclusions are of ellipsoidal shape with transverse circular sections located at the nodes of a doubly-periodic lattice with an orthogonal elementary cell. When the arrays of inclusions are set at equal spacings in normal directions through the thickness of the matrix, the material formed is an anisotropic composite with tetragonal symmetry at planes transverse to the fiber axis. The longitudinal and transverse elastic and shear moduli as well as the longitudinal Poisson's ratios of such composites are evaluated in this paper. The averaged properties are studied in terms of the aspect ratio and volume fraction of the inclusions as well as the relative rigidity of the constituent phases. Employing the Eshelby's theory for the stress field around a single ellipsoidal inhomogeneity, which is surrounded by the effective anisotropic material, and considering the Mori-Tanaka's concept for the mutual interaction of the neighboring inclusions, we may evaluate the averaged elastic properties of grained composites with aligned ellipsoidal inclusions at finite concentrations. The results provided in a closed-form solution concern the stiffness of 3-D grained composites with parallely dispersed ellipsoidal inclusions forming a prismatic network inside the principal material. It is shown that the stiffness is affected by both the geometry of the inclusions and their concentration. The use of different composite models in the analysis shows that intense variations of stiffness occur mainly in hard composites weakened by soft ellipsoidal inclusions. These findings come in full verification with experimental or theoretical results from the literature. Received 10 February 1998; accepted for publication 27 November 1998     

Computational studies on high-stiffness,high-damping SiC–InSn particulate reinforced composites

With the objective of achieving composite material systems that feature high stiffness and high mechanical damping, consideration is given here to unit cell analysis of particulate composites with high volume fraction of inclusions. Effective elastic properties of the composite are computed with computational homogenization based on unit cell analysis. The correspondence principle together with the viscoelastic properties of the indium–tin eutectic matrix are then used to compute the effective viscoelastic properties of the composite. Comparison is made with parallel experiments upon composites with an indium–tin eutectic matrix and high volume fractions of silicon-carbide reinforcement. The analytical techniques indicate that combinations of relatively high stiffness and high damping can be achieved in particulate composites with high SiC volume fractions. Based on analysis, the tradeoffs between stiffness and damping characteristics are assessed by changing the volume fraction, size, packing, and gradation of the particulate reinforcement phases. Practical considerations associated with realization of such composites based on the surface energy between the SiC and the InSn are discussed.     

二维三轴编织复合材料的弹性性能分析

提出了二维三轴编织复合材料的几何模型,模型考虑了纤维束的弯曲扭转状态及空间交错特性等几何元素。基于体积平均法,建立了预测二维三轴编织复合材料弹性性能的理论分析模型;通过引入更普遍适用的周期性位移边界条件,结合二维三轴编织复合材料的细观实体结构,建立了分析其力学性能的有限元模型。两种模型预测结果均与试验结果吻合,证明了方法的合理有效性。分析了材料受载下的细观应力分布,并讨论了编织参数对材料性能的影响。研究表明,二维三轴编织复合材料轴向性能得到了增强,应力分布更均匀,编织角以及纤维体积含量对材料弹性性能影响较大。     

Nonlinear bending behavior of 3D braided rectangular plates subjected to transverse loads in thermal environments

Nonlinear bending behavior of 3D braided rectangular plates subjected to transverse loads is investigated. A new micro-macro-mechanical model of unit cells is suggested. In this model, a 3D braided composite may be considered as a cell system and the geometry of each cell is deeply dependent on its position in the cross-section of the plate. The material properties of the epoxy are expressed as a linear function of temperature. Based on Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation plate theory and general von Kármán-type equations, analytical solutions for nonlinear bending behavior of simply supported 3D braided rectangular plates are obtained using mixed Galerkin-perturbation method. The numerical examples concern effects of geometric parameters, of fiber volume fraction, braiding angle and load boundary condition.     

DETERMINATION OF INTERNAL STRAIN IN 3-D BRAIDED COMPOSITES USING OPTIC FIBER STRAIN SENSORS

A reliable understanding of the properties of 3-D braided composites is of primary importance for proper utilization of these materials. A new method is introduced to study the mechanical performance of braided composite materials using embedded optic fiber sensors. Experimental research is performed to devise a method of incorporating optic fibers into a 3-D braided composite structure. The efficacy of this new testing method is evaluated on two counts. First, the optical performance of optic fibers is studied before and after incorporated into 3-D braided composites, as well as after completion of the manufacturing process for 3-D braided composites, to validate the ability of the optic fiber to survive the manufacturing process. On the other hand, the influence of incorporated optic fiber on the original braided composite is also researched by tension and compression experiments. Second, two kinds of optic fiber sensors are co-embedded into 3-D braided composites to evaluate their respective ability     

Multi-scale modelling of strongly heterogeneous 3D composite structures using spatial Voronoi tessellation

3D composite materials are characterized by complex internal yarn architectures, leading to complex deformation and failure development mechanisms. Net-shaped preforms, which are originally periodic in nature, lose their periodicity when the fabric is draped, deformed on a tool, and consolidated to create geometrically complex composite components. As a result, the internal yarn architecture, which dominates the mechanical behaviour, becomes dependent on the structural geometry. Hence, predicting the mechanical behaviour of 3D composites requires an accurate representation of the yarn architecture within structural scale models. When applied to 3D composites, conventional finite element modelling techniques are limited to either homogenised properties at the structural scale, or the unit cell scale for a more detailed material property definition. Consequently, these models fail to capture the complex phenomena occurring across multiple length scales and their effects on a 3D composite’s mechanical response. Here a multi-scale modelling approach based on a 3D spatial Voronoi tessellation is proposed. The model creates an intermediate length scale suitable for homogenisation to deal with the non-periodic nature of the final material. Information is passed between the different length scales to allow for the effect of the structural geometry to be taken into account on the smaller scales. The stiffness and surface strain predictions from the proposed model have been found to be in good agreement with experimental results.The proposed modelling framework has been used to gain important insight into the behaviour of this category of materials. It has been observed that the strain and stress distributions are strongly dependent on the internal yarn architecture and consequently on the final component geometry. Even for simple coupon tests, the internal architecture and geometric effects dominate the mechanical response. Consequently, the behaviour of 3D woven composites should be considered to be a structure specific response rather than generic homogenised material properties.     

三维机织复合材料力学性能研究进展

对近年来关于三维机织复合材料力学性能的研究作了综述和归纳。研究表明,三维机织复合材料的力学性能不仅取决于纤维和基体的性能,而且与三维增强结构形式密切相关。通过对三维机织增强结 构的研究,获得了机织复合材料的细观结构和主要力学特征的关系,强调了增强纤维束轴向几何特征和截面形状对材料细观结构的重要影响。试验研究集中于观测机织复合材料的破坏模式,以分析三维机织结构对阻止损伤微裂纹扩展的贡献。理论分析方面较为成熟的研究是三维机织复合材料线弹性力学性能,其研究基础是层板理论模型、取向平均模型和有限元分析模型。而对强度及损伤方面的研究还有待于进一步的工作。本文对当前研究工作中的关键问题进行分析,并就今后的研究工作发表一些看法。      

三维编织复合材料模量的双尺度有限元计算

针对三维编织复合材料的力学性能进行了双尺度有限元(TSA)数值计算,给出了计算模型和算法过程,并将数值结果与文献中的实验数据进行了比较,验证了算法的物理准确性。编织复合材料的力学性能不仅依赖于材料的基本组份,也与细观构造相关。双尺度有限元计算可以数值模拟出三维编织复合材料的整体力学性能,从而为材料的研发提供指导。本文的双尺度有限元三维数值计算方法可以推广到其他增强／孔隙等多相复合材料的数值模拟。     

Effective mechanical properties of unidirectional composites in the presence of imperfect interface

In this paper, the equivalent inclusion method is implemented to estimate the effective mechanical properties of unidirectional composites in the presence of an imperfect interface. For this purpose, a representative volume element containing three constituents, a matrix, and interface layer, and a fiber component, is considered. A periodic eigenstrain defined in terms of Fourier series is then employed to homogenize non-dilute multi-phase composites. In order to take into account the interphase imperfection effects on mechanical properties of composites, a stiffness parameter in terms of a matrix and interphase elastic modulus is introduced. Consistency conditions are also modified accordingly in such a way that only the part of the fiber lateral stiffness is to be effective in estimating the equivalent composite mechanical properties. Employing the modified consistency equations together with the energy equivalence relation leads to a set of linear equations that are consequently used to estimate the average values of eigenstrain in non-homogeneous phases. It is shown that for composites with both soft and hard reinforcements, largest stiffness parameter that indicates complete fiber–matrix interfacial debonding causes the same equivalent lateral properties.     

Assessment of composite failure and ultimate strength without experiment on composite

This paper attempts to estimate the ultimate strength of a laminated composite only based on its con- stituent properties measured independently. Three important issues involved have been systematically addressed, i.e., stress calculation for the constituent fiber and matrix materials, failure detection for the lamina and laminate upon the internal stresses in their constituents, and input data determination of the constituents from monolithic measurements. There are three important factors to influence the accuracy of the strength prediction. One is the stress concentration factor （SCF） in the matrix. Another is matrix plasticity. The third is thermal residual stresses in the constituents. It is these three factors, however, that have not been sufficiently well realized in the composite community. One can easily find out the elastic and strength parameters of a great many laminae and laminates in the current literature. Unfortunately, necessary information to determine the SCF, the matrix plasticity, and the thermal residual stresses of the composites is rare or incomplete. A useful design methodology is demonstrated in the paper.     

Closed-form solutions to the effective properties of fibrous magnetoelectric composites and their applications

Magnetoelectric coupling is of interest for a variety of applications, but is weak in natural materials. Strain-coupled fibrous composites of piezoelectric and piezomagnetic materials are an attractive way of obtaining enhanced effective magnetoelectricity. This paper studies the effective magnetoelectric behaviors of two-phase multiferroic composites with periodic array of inhomogeneities. For a class of microstructures called periodic E-inclusions, we obtain a rigorous closed-form formula of the effective magnetoelectric coupling coefficient in terms of the shape matrix and volume fraction of the periodic E-inclusion. Based on the closed-form formula, we find the optimal volume fractions of the fiber phase for maximum magnetoelectric coupling and correlate the maximum magnetoelectric coupling with the material properties of the constituent phases. Based on these results, useful design principles are proposed for engineering magnetoelectric composites.