Effect of interfacial properties on the thermophysical properties of 3D braided composites: 3D multiscale finite element study

In this article, a new three-dimensional (3D) finite element modeling is developed to investigate the effect of interfacial properties on the thermophysical properties of 3D braided composites. The yarn is considered as uniaxial fiber-reinforced composites, and its effective thermophysical properties are obtained by a representative volume cell constructed using the collision algorithm. In addition, based on the periodic nonadiabatic temperature boundary conditions and displacement boundary conditions, the thermophysical properties of 3D braided composites are predicted and compared with the experimental results, in which a good agreement is achieved. A comparison is conducted between the effect of interfacial properties on the thermophysical properties of 3D four-directional (4D) braided composites and that of 3D5D braided composites. The results acquired show that the interfacial properties are significant factors that affect the thermophysical properties of 3D4D braided composites, but they have no obvious effects on the thermophysical properties of 3D5D braided composites. (C) 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers