Thermo-mechanical properties of 5-harness satin fabric composites

The use of woven textile reinforcements in composite structures increased significantly in the past decades due to their interesting properties over unidirectional fibres. Therefore, the prediction of the thermo-mechanical properties of woven fabric composites is essential from a design and manufacturing standpoint. A micromechanical approach based on finite element method that utilizes three-dimensional unit cell was applied to predict the effective properties of a periodic woven fabric composite material. Using the resin processing properties models such as cure kinetics, shrinkage, glass transition temperature and elastic modulus models, the development of the periodic woven fabric composite material thermo-mechanical properties, as the cure progresses was predicted. The residual strains and stresses generated in the composite unit cell during the cure were also predicted and linked with the development of the material properties. The effective properties of the cured woven fabric composite material were compared to the one of an equivalent cross-ply composite material to verify the validity of neglecting the fibre waviness while modelling woven fabric composite.