Investigation of the Effective Properties of 3D Braided Composites with Distributed Pores by the Finite Element Method

In this paper the effective mechanical property of a type of 3D braided composites with equally distributed pores is studied. A representative element model for the 3D braided composites is built. The nonhomogeneous finite element method is adopted in this paper. When the volume fraction of the pores is constant, the moduli and the Poisson ratio of the 3D braided composites with equally distributed pores are obtained. It is found that the pores can weaken the mechanical property of the 3D braided composites. And the effects of the pores on different components of the mechanical property of 3D braided composites are different.