Meshfree modeling and homogenization of 3D orthogonal woven composites

In this paper, evaluation of 3D orthogonal woven fabric composite elastic moduli is achieved by applying meshfree methods on the micromechanical model of the woven composites. A new, realistic and smooth fabric unit cell model of 3D orthogonal woven composite is presented. As an alternative to finite element method, meshfree methods show a notable advantage, which is the simplicity in meshing while modeling the matrix and different yarns. Radial basis function and moving kriging interpolation are used for the shape function constructions. The Galerkin method is employed in formulating the discretized system equations. The numerical results are compared with the finite element and the experimental results.

► A novel meshfree method is presented for analysis of 3D orthogonal woven composites.
► Elastic moduli for 3D woven composite are evaluated.
► A new realistic smooth fabric unit cell is introduced.
► Radial bases function and moving Kriging interpolation are used.
► Excellent agreement is achieved with experimental results.