Multi‐scale elastic properties of 2.5D woven composites with void defects

Abstract 2.5D woven composite material inevitably produces void defects in its production process, which will seriously reduce its mechanical properties and reduce its service life. In this paper, the effects of void defects on the mechanical properties of 2.5D woven composites were studied by multi‐scale analysis. An improved Halpin‐Tsai semi‐empirical model is proposed to calculate the elastic properties of yarns with porous defects and verified by finite element method. A microscale representative volume unit (RVE) for predicting the elastic constants of composites with pore defects is established. Theoretical analysis and finite element analysis were used to verify the micro scale, and finite element analysis and experiment were used to verify the micro scale. The effect of porosity on the elastic properties of micro‐scale RVE was studied in detail. The results show that the model is reasonable and accurate in predicting the mechanical properties of yarns and composites. In addition, the effect of porosity on the mechanical properties of 2.5D woven composites is significant. Highlights An improved Halpin‐Tsai semi‐empirical model is proposed, which makes the microscale theoretical analysis of 2.5D woven composites better consistent with the finite element analysis. The void position obstructs the stress transfer of the matrix, and the stress concentration phenomenon also occurs. The void content has an effect on the mechanical properties of composites at both micro and micro scales.