Theoretical-numerical integrated multi-scale model for fast prediction of progressive failure in textile composites

Fast and accurate prediction of mechanical properties and failure behavior are essential for the design and optimization of textile composites. In this paper, a novel synergistic multi-scale modeling approach is proposed to predict the progressive failure of two-dimensional triaxially braided composites. A theoretical-based multi-scale model is integrated with finite element calculation in the user subroutine, VUMAT. The developed multi-scale model enables real-time two-way coupled interactions for mechanical response and damage behavior at meso- and macro-scales, and it shows great computational efficiency and generality because of the theoretical nature of the multi-scale computational framework. The proposed framework is utilized to predict the mechanical responses and failure behaviors of different types of specimens: straight-sided, tube, and notched specimens. The predictions show good agreement with both the meso-scale finite element simulations and the experimental results, while reducing the computational time by more than 10 times as compared to the meso-scale model. The theoretical-numerical integrated multi-scale model provides a fast and reliable solution for modeling the progressive failure behavior of textile composite structures under various loading conditions.