Prediction of effective thermal conductivities of woven fabric composites using unit cells at multiple length scales

A procedure for predicting the in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivities of woven fabric composites through a combined approach of the representative volume element method and heat transfer analyses via finite element is presented. The representative volume element method was implemented using two unit cells established at different length scales with periodic boundary conditions. The procedure was exemplified on a plain weave glass fabric reinforced epoxy resin matrix composite. Sensitivity studies were conducted to quantify the influence of fiber volume fraction and thermal conductivity of the constituent phases on the effective thermal conductivities of the composite. The procedure, which can be implemented into commercial finite element codes, is an efficient tool for the design of woven fabric composites.