Micromechanical model and experimental investigation of glass fiber-reinforced textile laminate

The mechanical characteristics of a glass woven fabric are examined both experimentally and theoretically. The experiments showed a nonlinear behaviour mainly due to the geometry of the laminate. A three dimensional finite element model was used to study the mechanical behaviour of a unit cell and predict the stiffness and strength of the laminate. The 3D model considers the fabric thickness, the yarn orientation and the fibre volume fraction and can be extended to include nonlinear effects and delaminations.