Unidirectional compression of fibre reinforcements. Part 1: A non-linear elastic-plastic behaviour

Liquid composite moulding processes are increasingly used to manufacture composite structures. Such processes combine compression of the fibre reinforcements (in dry and/or lubricated states) and resin flow. A better modelling of the compression of fibre reinforcements would improve the accuracy of hydro-mechanical coupling modelling involved in these processes. Several models are available in the literature, but none of them consider permanent deformations (such as plasticity). This article presents a methodology to measure plasticity of fibre reinforcements in dry and impregnated states. Also a non-linear elastic-plastic model, including large deformations, is proposed for unidirectional compression. Results on glass fibre reinforcements are presented and discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.