An Analytical Model for the Uniaxial Tensile Modulus of Plain-Woven Fabric Composites and Its Application and Experimental Validation

With advantages in efficiency and convenience, analytical models using experimental inputs to predict the mechanical properties of plain-woven fabric (PWF) composites are reliable in guaranteeing the composites’ engineering applications. Considering the importance of the aspect above, a new analytical model for predicting the uniaxial tensile modulus of PWF is proposed in this article. The composite yarns are first simplified as the lenticular-shaped cross-sections undulate along arc-composed paths. Force analyses of the yarn segments are then carried out with the internal interactions simplified, and the analytical model is subsequently deduced from the principle of minimum potential energy and Castigliano’s second theorem. The PWF of T300/Cycom970 is chosen as the study object to which the proposed analytical model is applied. Microscopic observations and thermal ablation experiments are conducted on the specimens to obtain the necessary inputs. The uniaxial tensile modulus is calculated and tensile experiments on the laminates are performed to validate the analytical prediction. The small deviation between the experimental and analytical results indicates the feasibility of the proposed analytical model, which has good prospects in validating the effectiveness of the experimentally obtained modeling parameters and guaranteeing the accuracy of mesoscale modeling for the PWF.