Investigation on the off-axis tensile failure behaviors of 3D woven composites through a coupled numerical-experimental approach

Abstract

Computational models with high precision and efficiency are in urgent need for the damage analyses of 3D angle-interlock woven composites which are widely accepted in composites industry. A novel concurrent multi-scale damage evolution modeling scheme is established based on a meso-scale representative volume cell (RVC) model and the multiphase finite element method to characterize the off-axis tensile response of carbon/epoxy composites. Modified Puck criterion and maximum shear stress criterion are adopted for fiber yarns. Parabolic yield criterion is adopted for the matrix. The fiber breakage, the inter-fiber fracture and matrix cracking are considered at mesoscopic level. To validate the proposed multi-scale damage model, off-axis tensile test is conducted with the help of 3D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method. A reasonably good agreement is achieved between numerical predictions and experimental observations. Furthermore, the validated damage model is used to predict the tensile response of the composites considering full range on-axis and off-axis angles.