A Multi Material Shell Model for the Mechanical Analysis of Triaxial Braided Composites

An efficient numerical methodology based on a multi material shell (MMS) approximation is proposed in this paper for the analysis of the mechanical behavior of triaxial braided composites subjected to tensile loads. The model is based on a geometrical description of the textile architecture of the material at the Gauss point level of a standard shell including the corresponding yarn geometrical parameters. The mechanical properties at the yarn level were determined from values reported in the literature or by means of micromechanical homogenization of unidirectional fiber reinforced composites. Simulations were carried out on single representative unit cell subjected to periodic boundary conditions and on multiple cell representative volume elements corresponding to the size of the standard width of a tensile specimen. The numerical results were compared with the stress-strain curves obtained experimentally as well as the damage mechanisms progression during deformation captured using radiographs performed on interrupted tests.