A lamination model for shape memory polymer/woven fabric composites

Based on continuum mechanics and finite element method, a lamination model was developed for shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) reinforced by woven fabrics. SMPCs were modeled as a laminated structure with woven fabric reinforcements embedded in shape memory polymers (SMPs). Thermo-responsive SMPs were defined by a 3D phenomenological model based on the phase transition approach, while woven fabric reinforcements were characterized by an anisotropic hyperelastic model. The proposed model was validated by comparing numerical results of a SMPC in the shape memory cycle of bending deformation with experimental data. Applications of the lamination model were demonstrated on numerical simulations of a tube made of SMPC in three shape memory cycles with different deformation modes. The proposed model is simple and applicable in the simulations of various shape memory cycles related to SMPCs. It also provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis and design optimization of woven fabric reinforced SMPC structures.