A NUMERICAL SOLUTION FOR PREDICTING THE STIFFNESS OF NANOPHASE BIAXIALLY BRAIDED COMPOSITES

摘要

The significant mechanical properties exhibited by nanoclay have turned the attention to their use for reinforcing biaxially braided carbon composites. An experimental investigation reveals that the addition of different weight percentages of nanoclay significantly alters the tensile strength, shear strength, and the corresponding stiffness of the material. The model has been developed, which is based on discrete three-layer model and thickness-average method for predicting the stiffness and shear modulus of unfilled biaxially braided carbon composites and of those with 1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 5 wt.% of nanoclay. Comparisons between the theoretical and experimental results are made. The theoretical results show that the incorporation of different percentages of nanoclay has a significant influence on the stiffness properties and shear modulus of biaxially braided carbon composites.