Mechanical behavior of three‐harness twill woven composite plates under tension loading

Abstract Three‐harness twill woven composite (THT‐WC) is an advanced carbon fiber reinforced composite that compromises the mechanical behaviors in both longitudinal and latitudinal directions. To explore the further practical application, the structural characteristics and static mechanical behavior of the material were investigated in this article. X‐ray computerized tomography was adopted to obtain the mesostructure details and to capture the key characteristics. With the help of mesoscale information, the 2D and 3D geometric models were established in the form of representative volume elements (RVEs). Combined with voxel mesh generation technology, a finite element model was proposed based on a 3D geometric model where macroscopic mechanical properties of materials along different yarn directions were gained. To verify the simulated geometry and predicted mechanical properties, mesoscale geometric comparison and specimen tensile tests were performed. The results show that the geometric model established in this article can reasonably reflect the periodicity fluctuation of binder warp yarns and the randomness fluctuation of weft yarns. Compared with the experimental results, the relative error of stiffness in the weft direction of the RVE is 4.25%, and that in the warp direction is 5.33%. Highlights The mechanical properties of THT‐WC were investigated experimentally. Meso‐scale reconstruction of THT‐WC was presented. A model to predict the mechanical properties of THT‐WC is established.