Triaxial Woven Fabric (TWF) Composites with Open Holes (Part I): Finite Element Models for Analysis

Abstract

Two finite element models (Superelement 1 and Superelement 2)are developed for prediction of mechanical behavior of triaxial woven fabric (TWF) composites with open holes. Superelement 1 is a 15-node superelement constructed of six identical 8-node 3-D isoparametric elements and three identical 4-node 2-D isoparametric laminate elements. Superelement 2 is similar to the first element except that this element takes into account the geometric and material properties of the twisted yarns. The assembly is done by the pseudo element technique suggested herein and the static condensation procedure. The availability of these elements allows for the analysis of complex structures of the triaxial fabric with open holes. Superelement 1 can be used for the vibration analysis with some economy of computer space and time. Superelement 2 can be used for detailed stress analysis and for strength prediction. Although these two elements are developed for the TWF composites with open holes, they can be applicable for analytical models for other materials and structures made of other types of textile composites.