Meso-Scale Damage Simulation of 3D Braided Composites under Quasi-Static Axial Tension

The microstructure of 3D braided composites is composed of three phases: braiding yarn, matrix and interface. In this paper, a representative unit-cell (RUC) model including these three phases is established. Coupling with the periodical boundary condition, the damage behavior of 3D braided composites under quasi-static axial tension is simulated by using finite element method based on this RUC model. An anisotropic damage model based on Murakami damage theory is proposed to predict the damage evolution of yarns and matrix; a damage-friction combination interface constitutive model is adopted to predict the interface debonding behavior. A user material subroutine (VUMAT) involving these damage models is developed and implemented in the finite element software ABAQUS/Explicit. The whole process of damage evolution of 3D braided composites under quasi-static axial tension with typical braiding angles is simulated, and the damage mechanisms are revealed in detail in the simulation process. The tensile strength properties of the braided composites are predicted from the calculated stress-strain curves. Numerical results agree with the available experiment data and thus validates the proposed damage analysis model. The effects of certain material parameters on the predicted stress-strain responses are also discussed by numerical parameter study.