Stress Concentrations in Composites with Microvascular Channels

Microvascular channels in fiber-reinforced composites offer various functionalities ranging from self-healing and damage monitoring, to active thermal management. However, the tradeoff between extended functionalities and mechanical performance at vascularized composites is still an issue. In this study, a three dimensional finite element model is developed to investigate the stress concentrations generated around macro-vascular channels for various channel configurations and lamination sequences. Results indicate that the stress distribution around vascular channel is same for symmetric stacking configurations spite of having different layer just above the channel and different resin pocket dimensions. The effect of changing the vascule diameter is mostly observed in UD 0 configuration.