Stiffness and progressive failure prediction of 2-D tri-axially braided composites

Abstract

This paper studies the mechanical properties of the 2-D tri-axial braided composite. A volume element is established, so that the classical laminate plate theory and the series-parallel model can be adopted to study a bi-directional stress-strain response. Failure criteria are given and the failure strength is determined. The finite element simulation is used to verify the reliability of the present theoretical model.