Micromechanical modeling of fiber reinforced composites based on elastoplasticity and its application for 3D braided glass/Kevlar composites

Abstract

Micromechanical modeling to calculate the mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composites is proposed. To describe the mechanical behavior of the yarn and the matrix, which are the main constituents of fiber reinforced composites, the elastoplastic constitutive law was adopted. In particular, anisotropic elastoplasticity based on Hill's orthotropic yield function and anisotropic kinematic hardening was utilized for the yarn, while the isotropic elastoplastic constitutive law was applied for the matrix. The effective properties of the unit cell in fiber reinforced composites were then calculated based on the finite element method. For verification, the method was successfully applied for 3D braided glass/Kevlar fiber reinforced composites in both linear elastic and nonlinear inelastic ranges.