The Effect of Structural and Process Parameters on the Effective Properties of Polymer Composites Reinforced by Fiber-rod and Three-dimensional Weaving

Weaving structure and manufacturing characteristics have close relationships with the mechanical properties of polymer composite reinforced by fiber-rod and three-dimensional (3D) weaving (PCFR3DWs). The Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka inclusion theory and the stiffness volume average method are proposed herein to predict the effective properties of PCFR3DWs. The elastic properties of compound weaving composites (CWCs) and unidirectional weaving laminate composites (UWLCs) of PCFR3DWs were thereby calculated. The effect of the fiber-rod array interval (D) and fiber-rod diameter (d) on the elastic properties of PCFR3DW UWLCs and CWCs were investigated and discussed. Furthermore, considering the characteristics of manufacturing process, the influences of yarn packing factor and void ratio on the stiffness properties of CWC were studied as well. Experiments and finite element analysis (FEA) validated the calculation model, with good agreement between the experimental, FEA and calculation results. The D greatly affected some of the elastic constants of the PCFR3DWs, while d had little effect on the elastic constants other than the longitudinal Young’s modulus. The yarn packing factor had significantly effect on the stiffness properties of the composites, while the influence of the void ratio was negligible. Moreover, the fracture mechanism of PCFR3DW was evaluated based on the experimental test result. This work will facilitate the design of PCFR3DWs by providing insight into the relationships between the various stiffness properties, weaving structure, geometric parameters and procedure parameters of the components that affect macroscale performance.