Thermal property of 3-D braided fiber composites: Experimental and numerical results

Fiber Hexprismyarn Diagonal Brick Cell (FHDBC) and experimental methods, the thermal expansion and conductivity of 3-D braided fiber composites were investigated and the results were compared with those from tests. The investigation shows that FHDBC can reflect the real structure of 3-D braided fiber composites. The geometric models and boundary conditions of the unit cell can be conveniently simulated by FEM. The effective thermal expansion in the braided cross-sectional area decreases as fiber volume fractions and braided angle increase; the effective thermal conductivity in the braided cross-sectional area increase as fiber volume fractions and braided angle increase.