Modelling of the mechanical behaviour of woven-fabric CFRP laminates up to failure

In order to model the mechanical behaviour of woven composite materials up to failure, we have adapted models developed for unidirectional plies and based on damage mechanics. The model used to describe the degradations is non-linear with progressive damage and inelastic strains. The behaviour of woven plies in the warp and fill directions is elastic and brittle. The progressive loss of rigidity (shear modulus) is described by a damage variable, the development of which depends on the shear load but also on the in-plane tension load. The inelastic strains concern only shear strains. The identification of the model was done by means of two tensile tests. A program that makes it possible to simulate the woven laminate behaviour was carried out. Validation tests, which compare numerical results and experimental results, have shown the relevance of the model. These tests show a lesser sensitivity of woven-ply laminates to delamination phenomena with respect to unidirectional plies. In the case of woven-ply laminates, the only inelastic damageable model of the ply should be sufficient to describe the behaviour of any laminate.