Yarn Architecture Analysis of Two-step 3D Braided Composites

摘要

A comprehensive study of yarn architecture of two-step rectangle 3D braided composites is presented. Firstly, the braided surface, the shapes of yams and the intertwining between braider yarns and axial yarns are analyzed from experimentation. With the microstructure being defined, three levels of unit cell structure are identified, i.e. large unit cell, second unit cell and minimal unit cell. Secondly, based on the minimal unit cell in the interior and on the boundary of the entire cross-section, the deformations of axial yarns squashed by braider yams contribute to the increase of the fiber packing factors of axial yarns. Finally, the predicted fiber volume fraction of the composites decreases with the increase of linear density of the braider yarn and the pitch length. Favorable correlations between the predicted and the experimental results are found for six groups of the composites.