Numerical prediction of uniaxial tensile properties of 3D braided C/SiC composites

This paper is focused on the microstructure modeling and numerical prediction of uniaxial tensile properties of three-dimensional (3D) braided carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composites. Based on the multiscale characteristics of the fabrication process and component material distribution of 3D braided C/SiC composites, fibre scale and tow scale RVE models were established considering the local periodicity of the microstructure of the composites. Finite element method was applied to predict the elastic properties and strength properties of the fibre scale model, which were then substituted into the tow scale model. The Tsai-Wu failure criterion was employed and the stiffness reduction was conducted in the failed elements according to the different failure modes. The progressive damage process of 3D braided C/SiC composites under uniaxial tensile load was simulated.