Microstructural Modeling and Second-Order Two-Scale Computation for Mechanical Properties of 3D 4-Directional Braided Composites

This study is concerned with the microstructural modeling and mechanical properties computation of three-dimensional (3D) 4-directional braided composites. Microstructure of the braided composite determines its mechanical properties and a precise geometry modeling of the composite is essential to predict the material properties. On the basis of microscopic observation, a new parameterized microstructural unit cell model is established in this paper. And this model truly simulates the microstructure of the braided composites. Furthermore, the mathematical relationships among the structural parameters, including the braiding angle, fiber volume fraction and braiding bitch, are derived. By using the unit cell model, the second-order two-scale (SOTS) method is applied to predict the mechanical properties of 3D 4-directional braided composites, including stiffness parameters and strength parameters. Besides, the effects of the braiding angle and fiber volume fraction on the elastic constants are investigated in detail. Numerical results show that the predictive stiffness and strength parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental data, which demonstrate that the established unit cell model is applicable and the second-order two-scale method is valid to predict the mechanical properties of 3D 4-directional braided composites.