Computational schemes on the bending fatigue deformation and damage of three-dimensional orthogonal woven composite materials

• Published in: Computational materials science Vol. 91; pp. 91 - 101
• Main Authors: Sun, Baozhong, Wang, Jinhua, Wu, Liwei, Fang, Fang, Gu, Bohong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.08.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: 3D woven composite material; Bending fatigue; Composite materials; Computation; Damage; Damage mechanisms; Exact sciences and technology; Fatigue; Fatigue (materials); Finite element analysis (FEA); Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Morphology; Physics; Solid mechanics; Stress concentration; Structural and continuum mechanics; Three dimensional; Warp yarns; Fatigue; 3D woven composite material; Finite element analysis (FEA); Damage mechanisms; Stress concentration; Bending fatigue test; Composite material; Finite element method; Stress distribution; Cyclic load; Stiffness; Woven material; Microstructure; Fracture mode; Damaging
• ISSN: 0927-0256; 1879-0801
• DOI: 10.1016/j.commatsci.2014.04.052

[Display omitted] •Fatigue behavior of 3D orthogonal woven composites (3DOWC) is studied at microstructure level.•Fatigue damage and degradation were revealed with numerical analyses.•The influences of the microstructure on the fatigue behaviors have been analyzed. This paper reports a computational scheme on three-dimensional orthogonal woven composites (3DOWC) fatigue behavior under three-point low-cycle bending. Based on three-point cyclic bending fatigue tests, a microstructure model was established at yarn level for predicting the fatigue behaviors. The stiffness degradation and damage morphologies of the 3DOWC were obtained from finite element analysis (FEA) and compared with those from experimental. The stress distribution, energy absorption and damage morphologies in the different parts of the 3DOWC sample were obtained to analyze fatigue failure mechanisms. The influences of warp yarns, weft yarns and Z-yarn systems were discussed. It is found that warp yarn system bears the most cyclic load as well as energy absorption. The stress concentration area was located in the central loading area, especially in the warp yarns that is close to the Z-yarns side and its channels. The triangle damage area was gradually generated from up to down in the stress concentration area as the loading cycle increased.