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characterisation of the tow, effective medium as well as the spring element plays an
important role in predicting both the mechanical properties and failure strength of the
angle interlock woven composites. Details of characterisation can be found in Cox et al.
(1994) and Xu et al. (1995).
shaded volume is one
effective medium element
L-_____=)
tow element
nodes
Figure 4.20 Tow and matrix elements in a layer-to-layer angle interlock woven
composite (Cox et al, 1994; Xu et al, 1995)
4.5 UNIT CELL MODELS FOR BRAIDED AND KNITTED COMPOSITES
There are several unit cell models that have been developed during the past two
decades. This section will present a brief overview of the models available based on the
previous review by Tan et a1 (1997a).
4.5.1 Braided Composites
A self-consistent fabric geometry model was proposed by Pastore and Gowayed (1994)
for predicting the elastic properties of textile composites. This model is a modification
of the Fabric Geometry Model (KO and Pastore, 1985), which relates the fibre
