Numerical Simulation of the Tensile Fractures of the Glass Fabric Composite with 3-D Finite Element Approach (FEA)

With the rapid growth of the computer applications, multitudinous procedures were developed for the prediction of the strength and fractures of various materials in engineering applications. A finite element simulation of composite woven reinforcement forming requires the knowledge of the fabric mechanical behavior. In the presented microscopic approach, the plain weaved glass fabric/epoxy laminates were investigated, the tensile mechanical behavior of the Represent Volume Elementary (RVE, in the microscopic level) are used in a finite element made of woven meshes. The meshed elements were established parametrically according to the microscopic geometry of the yarns. By means of finite element software ANSYS, the components of the RVE were meshed into 8 node-solid elements. The Modules and strength of the RVE were predicted by numerical analysis. The results show that simulated modulus coincides well with the equivalent stiffness method and test results; the predicted strength conforms to the tensile test results.