Elastic moduli and stress field of plain-weave composites under tensile loading

Abstract

Iso-strain and flexural models have been developed for the investigation of the elastic properties and stress distributions of plain-weave composites under in-plane tensile loading. Analyses are performed for the configurations of single lamina, iso-phase laminate, outof-phase laminate and random-phase laminate. The analytical results are evaluated by finite-element analyses and good agreements have been achieved. The tension/bending coupling effect is significant for the single-lamina composite. The tension/transverse-shear coupling results in differences of Young's modulus and stress distribution between the iso-phase laminate and out-of-phase laminate. This study has led to the conclusion that in the practical design of plain-weave composites, Young's moduli and stress distributions can be predicted by the iso-strain model. The flexural model is useful in assessing the effect of local bending of yarns.