One can observe, section-by-section, the yarn cross-section shape inside the woven and braided fabric.
Two critical issues with regards to the digital element mesh are also examined: yarn discretization and initial yarn cross-section shape.
In comparison with the conventional idealized modelling strategy, the proposed voxel models reproduces successfully the varied yarn cross-section and the non-fully-symmetric undulated yarn path.
It was observed that, increasing the shear deformation, Z-yarns maintain unchanged the distance between the yarns and as consequence the yarn cross-section has a reduced variation of width, mainly in the weft direction.
Due to the jamming action in the manufacturing process, local curvature and fiber reorientation are inherent in nature to the yarn in 3D four-directional braided composites, which results in different failure modes comparing with the constant yarn cross-section.
Within the example of plain weave composite, random yarn cross-section shape and twist degrade all of the elastic constants except the shear moduli and Poisson's ratios in 1 3 and 2 3 directions, which are determined by the comprehensive effect of the stochastic scaling and twist.
Micrograph of cross-section of composite samples showed that minimum distortion of the yarn cross-section in vicinity of POF and no presence of air pocked around the embedded POF which indicates that 3D woven preform provided a good host for embedded POF.
Open image in new window Figure 4 Yarn cross-section images (a) reference yarn (b) ALPE yarn (c) ACPE yarn.
As the fibre linear density decreases, number of fibres in the yarn cross-section increases resulting in large number of capillaries of small diameter (Das et al. 2008).
