A non-linear material model for progressive damage analysis of woven composites using a conformal meshing framework

A progressive damage model is presented to investigate the damage and failure behaviors of woven composites. The conformal finite element mesh for the woven composites, used for this analysis, is generated using fabric micro-geometry from DFCA (Digital Element Approach (DEA) Fabric and Composite Analyzer, Kansas State University). The mesh generation strategy is discussed briefly - it does not make any idealized assumptions about yarn geometry and thus can be used for any woven composite micro-geometry. The woven composite domain consists of homogeneous and transversely isotropic yarns, and the surrounding homogeneous isotropic matrix. A recursive stiffness reduction method that allows for combined failure modes is employed to model progressive damage behavior. Two different fabric micro-geometries are studied: a 2D plain-weave laminate and a 3D orthogonal-weave unit cell. To support the validity of the proposed model, numerical results for the mechanical behavior of the two cases are discussed and compared with numerical predictions in literature and available experimental data.