Analytical modeling on mechanical responses and damage morphology of flexible woven composites under trapezoid tearing

This paper describes an analytical model for predicting trapezoid tearing strength of flexible woven composites. The analytical model was established based on the tearing damage behavior of the flexible woven composite sample during experimental tests. It was observed during the test that the tearing force increased gradually with the increase of the tearing delta zone. The analytical model involves the formulation of the strength sustained by the fiber bundles (warp yarns and weft yarns) and coatings, respectively. Based on the analytical model, the tearing deformation at different tearing delta zones has been calculated to derive the tearing strength at different displacements. The model was validated from the good agreement between the calculated results and the experimental results. From the model, it was found that the failure strain and the elastic modulus of the yarn as well as the weaving density of the fabric are the key factors affecting the tearing strength of flexible woven composites. It is expected that the analytical model could be extended to the design of flexible woven composites with a high tearing resistance, such as flexible pipelines and architecture membranes.