Evaluation of Macroscopic and Local Strains in a Three‐Dimensional Woven C/SiC Composite

Engineering tests and full‐field strain measurements are used to assess the accuracy of predictions made by the Binary Model, a computational tool for textile composites. The test case is a carbon fiber/SiC matrix composite, in which the reinforcement is a three‐dimensional angle‐interlock weave. The test composites are thin, having been designed for heat exchanger applications. The thinness leads to strong variations in local strains and strong effects of tow waviness upon macroscopic elasticity. The model performs well in predicting both local variations in strain and macroscopic elasticity. The effect of averaging local strains over variable gauge lengths is explored. Strains averaged over an appropriate gauge length have recently been proposed as the preferred measures of strain for use in local failure criteria.