Modeling of Mechanical Properties of the Polymeric Composite Reinforced with Braided Preform

Braided composite structures based on preforms are widely used in various industries. Owing to use of such preforms high speed and efficiency of the process of manufacturing of polymeric composite materials and structures on their basis can be provided. Knowledge of their properties in the design allows optimizing the production of structures with the specified parameters. The paper gives the review of three approaches to the description of physical and mechanical characteristics of the composite with braided fixtures – based on the classical theory of layered media, rod-based model, and the method of polynomial approximation. The necessary estimated dependencies were derived in order to predict the elastic and structural behavior of the composites under study at any reinforcement angle according to the known characteristics of predetermined angles. Synthesized design parameters, as distinct from the existing ones, allow predicting strength characteristics of the composite based on the braided hoses depending on the positioning and location of the material on the shape-generating surface. For the verification of theoretical results, a number of experimental studies have been carried out with the formation of samples of the material with the different reinforcing angles. Comparison of the analytical and experimental results allows drawing the conclusions that rod-based model gives the best results for the description of elastic behavior of the polymeric composite materials, whereas the obtained polynomial dependences are recommended for the structural behavior. The results of the work represent the basis for solving the problems of calculation of strength of the structures made of composite materials based on the braided preforms