Triaxial Braid Composite Modeling
Walker, Luke
Walker, Luke
Abstract
Description
A trend toward the use of fibrous composite materials is being made due to some of their inherent properties. The most notable being the high strength and stiffness to weigh ratio. To safely and accurately use these materials in design it is necessary to fully understand their behavior. As the orientation of the fibers gets more complex the behavior becomes more complicated. Research was aimed at coming up with an accurate method to predict failure in complex weaves. A triaxial braided composite was chosen to work with because there had already been extensive experimental research that defined the material behavior. The finite element method was employed using computer software to model the weave and look at the stresses. These stresses are then used to predict failure and compare with experimental data and properties of unidirectional composites. The weave was separated into different sub-domains until the experimental data matched the failure predictions. Fully understanding the failure of woven textile composites will allow for them to be used with confidence in many more applications and take full advantage of their material properties.
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University of Wyoming Libraries