Characteristic progressive damage modes in a plain weave textile composite under multiaxial loads Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • A finite element-based model was developed to predict progressive damage evolution within a plain weave textile composite subjected to various combinations of in-plane tension and shear. Cracking in the tows, matrix, and interfaces was accounted for through cohesive zone modeling. Shear damage in the tows was accounted for through a continuum damage model. The damage behavior in the tows was stochastic in nature with properties determined from prior investigations of composite microstructures that included randomness in fiber positions. The predicted progressive damage evolution was found to qualitatively match well with experimental observations performed on similar material systems. The effect of temperature change, which modifies the thermally induced stresses in the tows as well as the apparent strength of the tows (due to changes in thermally induced microstresses at the fibermatrix scale) was examined. Finally, the progressive failure responses under different loadings were compared to identify common characteristic behaviors. The effect of these characteristic behaviors on the textiles effective response was investigated along with approaches to incorporate the behaviors into a structural scale progressive failure model.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS

author list (cited authors)

  • McLendon, W. R., & Whitcomb, J. D.

citation count

  • 4

publication date

  • May 2017