Characterization of the tensile behavior of a metallic fiber woven structure

Abstract

The mechanics of a woven wire mesh material are investigated to characterize the elasto-plastic behavior of this class of materials under tensile conditions. The study focuses on a representative 316 L stainless steel (316 L SS) 325 × 2300 twill-dutch woven wire mesh typically used as a fine filtration media in applications such as water reclamation, air filtration, and as a key component in swab wands used in conjunction with explosive trace detection equipment. Mechanical experiments and a 3D finite element model were employed to study the macro-scale and meso-scale mechanical behavior of the woven wire mesh under uniaxial tensile conditions. A parametric study of the orientation dependence of the mechanical response of this material has been carried out, which relates material properties such as elastic modulus, yield strength, etc. to material orientation. Ratcheting type tensile tests are also performed in a similar orientation study, and an elementary damage model is presented for the woven wire mesh based on continuum damage mechanics. The elasto-plastic behavior of the wire mesh is studied via the finite element method, and observations are made relating localized plastic strain to remotely applied displacements.