Reducing the domain in the mechanical analysis of periodic structures, with application to woven composites

N.V. de Carvalho (1) , S.T. Pinho (1) , P. Robinson (1)

1 Dept. of Aeronautics

A theoretical framework is developped leading to a sound derivation of Periodic Boundary Conditions (PBCs) for the analysis of domains smaller then the Unit Cells (UCs), named reduced Unit Cells (rUCs), by exploiting non-orthogonal translations and symmetries. A particular type of UCs, Offset-reduced Unit Cells (OrUCs) are highlighted. These enable the reduction of the analysis domain of the traditionally defined UCs without any loading restriction. The relevance of the framework and its application is illustrated through practical examples: 2D woven laminates and 3D woven composites.

Mots clés: A. Textile composites; C. Multiscale modelling; C. Finite element analysis (FEA); Unit cell

Domaines: Matériaux

N.V. de Carvalho, S.T. Pinho, P. Robinson. Reducing the domain in the mechanical analysis of periodic structures, with application to woven composites. Composites Science and Technology, 2011, ⟨10.1016/j.compscitech.2011.03.001⟩. ⟨hal-00743444⟩