3D-woven composite materials: Opportunities and challenges

​Welcome to a Tandem Webinar with Prof. Martin Fagerström, Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology and Dr Bassam Elsaied, University of Bristol.

Focus on the webinar is : 3D-woven composite materials.

Time: 3 April, 12:00-13:00.

Place: Online, platform Zoom.
Register to the webinar

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Program​:

• 12 PM, The webinar starts. Moderator: Leif Asp, Co-Director Chalmers Area of Advance Materials Science
• Prof. Martin Fagerström, Department of Industrial and Materials Science
• Dr. Bassam Elsaied, University of Bristol
• Q&A

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Abtract
There is a growing need across multiple industries for lightweight materials with improved material performance and reduced manufacturing costs. Composites with 3D-woven reinforcement could help fill this need, as they can outperform traditional laminated composites in several aspects. Due to the through-thickness reinforcements of these materials, they are able to suppress delamination and at the same time provide high out-of-plane strength and stiffness, as well as fracture toughness and damage tolerance. Further, several studies have shown that 3D-woven composites have promising specific energy absorption capabilities, which can be very relevant in reducing weight in the transport sector where high crashworthiness is a key requirement. 

However, for these materials to be widely adopted in industrial applications, there is a need for better understanding of their deformation and damage mechanisms leading up to final failure. And as industrial product development is primarily simulation-driven, there is also a clear need to develop efficient and industrially applicable material models that can predict their non-linear behaviour.

In the current collaborative work, we have merged the expertise in physical characterisation and detailed modelling of 3D-woven composite materials at Bristol Composites Institute with the research activities at Chalmers where a flexible framework for modelling the same class of materials on the component scale has been developed.

During the seminar, we will introduce the concept and general architecture of 3D-woven composites, present experimental results that illustrate its pseudo-ductile behaviour that provides promising energy absorption capabilities, and demonstrate current capabilities of modelling the mechanical behaviour of these materials on different geometrical scales. We will also discuss the potential of using so-called virtual testing as complement to physical testing. In the latter, numerical simulations on detailed and validated mesoscale models (developed at Bristol) can be used to generate additional (virtual) data for calibration and validation of a more industrially applicable macroscale model (developed at Chalmers).

​Here you find Area of Advance Materials Science new exciting seminars all connected to the challenges of the future.