Experimental and numerical study on moisture diffusion behavior of 3D woven composite

• Published in: Composites. Part A, Applied science and manufacturing Vol. 185; p. 108280
• Main Authors: Cao, Bingyan, Wang, Jingjing, Tang, Shaofeng, Zhang, Zhongsen, Li, Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2024
• Subjects: A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs); B. Residual/internal stress; C. Finite element analysis (FEA); D. Moisture; A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs); D. Moisture; C. Finite element analysis (FEA); B. Residual/internal stress
• ISSN: 1359-835X; 1878-5840
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2024.108280

In this paper, a meso-scale finite element model was established to investigate the moisture diffusion in 3D woven carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs), and to analyze the internal stresses caused by hygroscopic deformation. To quickly obtain the mesoscopic moisture diffusion parameters, an optimization procedure that fitted the simulation results to the experimental results was implemented to achieve automatic inverse identification of each parameter. The homogenized analytical models for describing the moisture diffusion in yarns and resin, specifically Fick’s and Langmuir-type models, were evaluated. The results indicated that Langmuir-type model provided more accurate fitting results, attributed to its consideration of anomalous moisture absorption. Furthermore, the internal stress induced by moisture absorption was analyzed for composites aging at 82 °C over different time intervals. The accumulation of hygroscopic stress was observed at the intersection of warp and weft yarns, as well as at the interface between the weft yarn and matrix.