Compression Response of 2D Braided Textile Composites: Single Cell and Multiple Cell Micromechanics Based Strength Predictions

This article is concerned with the development of a finite element (FE) based micromechanics model for the prediction of compressive strength and post-peak compression response of 2D triaxial braided carbon fiber polymer matrix composites (2DTBC). This micromechanics based study was carried out on a series of single and multiple representative unit cell (RUC) 3-D FE models. The uniaxial compressive response, including unstable equilibrium paths, was studied using an arc-length method in conjunction with the ABAQUS commercial FE code. In the reported study, explicit account of the braid microstructure (geometry and packing) and the measured inelastic properties of the matrix (the in-situ properties) are accounted for via the use of the FE method. This enables accounting for the different length scales that are present in a 2DTBC. The computational model provides a means to assess the compressive response of 2DTBC and its dependence on various microstructural parameters. The model provides a means to compute the compression strength allowable for a 2DTBC structure. In particular, the dependence of compressive strength on the axial fiber tow properties and axial tow geometrical imperfections is discussed and shown to be significant in capturing the mechanism of damage development. Results are presented for 1, 4, 9, and 16 RUC representations of the 2DTBC, enabling to examine the dependence of compressive strength (or lack thereof) on the size of the region that is modeled. The predicted results are found to compare favorably against experiment.