Abstract
The textile polymeric composites define a class of advanced materials, utilising fabrics as reinforcement. The geometry, as well as the structure of textile reinforced polymeric composites, are much more complex than that of composites reinforced with unidirectional fibres. The mechanical properties of textile reinforced composites are influenced by several parameters such as fibre material, the internal geometry of the fabric, number of counts, size of gap between adjacent yarns, height of woven layer, undulation and thickness of the composite lamina. Each of these factors can influence the structural behaviour and can be modelled based on its specific length scale. This paper is focused on the modelling procedures of the in-plane stiffness characteristics, specific to satin reinforced laminated composites. The method used is a compromise between the continuous and pure discrete approaches and it is associated with a mesoscopic analysis of the repetitive unit cell (RUC). The elastic properties of the textile reinforced polyester composite, using S glass fibre, arranged in satin reinforcement, are determined and analysed taking into account the variation of two characteristic geometric parameters, namely the width and the height of the reinforcing tow.
Keywords: satin textile composites; elastic moduli; geometric parameters; reinforcing tow