Mesoscale modeling of woven composite twisted structures combining digital element embedded model and affine transform

Abstract

The mesoscale model with realistic yarn geometries could improve the accuracy of property prediction of woven composite structures. This paper aims to propose a novel mesoscale modeling method for the woven composite twisted structures. Firstly, the torsional deformation of the yarns in the unit cell model is simulated with high-fidelity using digital element fibers embedded into the matrix solid meshes. Then, the solid geometry model of the twisted composite structures is reconstructed from the digital element deformation model by combining the affine transforms. Finally, the elastic responses of the twisted composite structure under cantilever loading are predicted by assigning the element information of the established mesoscale model to the macroscale model. It is shown that the geometric morphology and predicted mechanical responses of the high-fidelity model are consistent with the experimental results. Furthermore, the effect of twist angles on the stiffness properties of the twisted composite structures is analyzed using the presented numerical method. The proposed digital modeling method could provide a guide for the early design of woven composite structures.