Sandwich shell model with woven fabric facings for nonlinear finite element simulation

This paper presents a micromechanical model for analysis of woven fabric composites. The micro model is coupled with a shell element developed for the analysis of sandwich structures. Starting with the average strains in the representative volume cell and based on continuity requirements at the sub-cell interfaces, the strains and stresses in the composite constituents are determined as well as the average stresses in the lamina. In their formulation the developed micromechanical models take into consideration all components of the 3-D strain and stress tensors. The formulation is implemented in the explicit nonlinear finite element code DYNA3D. The performance of the model is assessed through couple of examples. The simplicity of formulation makes this model attractive for the nonlinear finite element analysis of sandwich composite structures with woven facings.