A Decomposition Method for Material Properties based on a Two-Layered Cross-Ply Laminate Model to Improve the Prediction Accuracy of Thermal Distortion in Satin-Woven Fabric Composites

The two-layered cross-ply laminate (TLCP) model can accurately predict the thermal distortion of satin-woven fabric composites. Unlike conventional models, the TLCP model has been demonstrated to accurately predict the principal curvature direction of thermal distortion in satin-woven fabric composites. Nevertheless, a material property characterization method compatible with the TLCP model and necessary for practical thermal distortion analysis has not yet been established. In this study, a decomposition method for the material properties of the TLCP model was developed to enable such practical thermal distortion analysis. The in-plane elastic constants E_1, E_2, and ν_12 were decomposed from flexural and tensile tests, and the coefficients of thermal expansion α_1 and α_2 were decomposed via analytical solutions or iterative finite element (FE) analyses by comparing the out-of-plane displacements of an antisymmetric angle-ply laminate. To verify the decomposed material properties, thermal distortion analyses were performed for three stacking sequence configurations and compared with experimental results. The results confirm that the decomposed material properties accurately predict the thermal distortion of satin-woven fabric composites. The proposed decomposition method is expected to enable more accurate prediction of thermal distortion in composite structures fabricated from satin-woven fabric.