A micromechanics model for 3D elasticity and failure of woven-fibre composite materials

An analytical model called MESOTEX (MEchanical Simulation Of TEXtile) is proposed in this paper with the objective of predicting 3D elastic and failure properties of several woven fibre composite materials, Based on the use of the classical thin laminate theory to the woven structure, the mesotex model is used to analyze plain-weave, satin-weave and twill-weave composites and their hybrid equivalents. Stiffness properties are computed and compared with test data and with the results of other micromechanical models. This correlation is followed by a parametric study in which the effect of strand waviness on the elastic properties is discussed for different woven-fibre composites, Moreover, this analytical model is extended in order to predict failure strength under tensile load in woven-fibre composite materials with a point-wise stiffness reduction technique. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.