Variational solution for a cracked mosaic model of woven fabric composites. (Q5926635)

A variational solution for a cracked mosaic model for woven fabric composites is presented by using the minimum complementary energy principle. Unlike other existing solutions in the literature, the solution is derived for a woven laminate in either the plane strain or the plane stress state, with the warp/fill yarn materials being either orthotropic or transversely isotropic. For stress components, the authors give closed-form expressions in terms of perturbation function. The authors calculate the Young's modulus of the cracked laminate by using the minimum complementary energy. They claim that the present closed-form solution can account for different yarn materials, applied loads, geometrical dimensions, or their combinations. To demonstrate the solution, 60 sample cases are analyzed using three different composite systems and ten different crack densities. The obtained numerical results are also compared to two existing elasticity solutions for cross-ply laminates.