Development of a Model for Predicting the Transverse Coefficients of Thermal Expansion of Unidirectional Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites

A model for predicting the transverse coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) for carbon fibre composites is presented in this paper. The transverse CTE were calculated by finite element analysis using a representative unit cell. The analytical micromechanical models from literature were reviewed by comparing with the FEA data. It shows that overall Hashin model provides the best accuracy. However, the calculating process of Hashin model is very complicated and inconvenient for practical applications. By using FEA, Design of Experiments (DOE), and Response Surface Method (RSM), the transverse CTE of unidirectional carbon fibre composites were studied and a regression-based model was developed. The model was validated against the FEA and experimental data. It shows that the developed model offers excellent accuracy while reduces complicated computation process. The advantage of this model is that it provides a simple and accurate method for predicting the transverse CTE of composites, which helps effective and efficient design of composite structures.