Meso-scale finite element simulations of 3D braided textile composites: effects of force loading modes

Meso-scale finite element method (FEM) is considered as the most effective and economical numerical method to investigate the mechanical behavior of braided textile composites. Applying the periodic boundary conditions on the unit-cell model is a critical step for yielding accurate mechanical response. However, the force loading mode has not been employed in the available meso-scale finite element analysis (FEA) works. In the present work, a meso-scale FEA is conducted to predict the mechanical properties and simulate the progressive damage of 3D braided composites under external loadings. For the same unit-cell model with displacement and force loading modes, the stress distribution, predicted stiffness and strength properties and damage evolution process subjected to typical loading conditions are then analyzed and compared. The obtained numerical results show that the predicted elastic properties are exactly the same, and the strength and damage evolution process are very close under these two loading modes, which validates the feasibility and effectiveness of the force loading mode. This comparison study provides a suitable reference for selecting the loading modes in the unit-cell based mechanical behavior analysis of other textile composites.