ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR MICROMECHANICS OF TEXTILE COMPOSITES

An analytical method called the selective averaging method (SAM) is pr oposed for prediction of the thermoelastic constants of textile compos ite materials. The unit cell of the composite is divided into slices ( mesoscale), and the slices are subdivided into elements (microscale). The elastic constants of the homogenized medium are found by averaging the elastic constants of the elements selectively for both isostress and isostrain conditions. For thin textile composites where there are fewer unit cells in the thickness direction, SAM is used to compute di rectly the [A], [B] and [D] matrices of the composite plate. The resul ts obtained by the SAM are compared with available finite-element-base d micromechanical methods and analytical solutions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.