Flexural Properties of Fiber‐Reinforced Composites

To describe the macroscopic mechanical behavior of composite materials with biaxial weft‐knitted fabric reinforcement, a difference between the flexural and tensile stiffness must be taken into account. Due to the periodic structure of the composite, the material behavior can be investigated on a unit cell. A homogenization technique based on the Hill‐Mandel energy balance is used to replace a heterogenous Boltzmann medium by a homogenous COSSERAT continuum. To simulate the material behavior, this homogenization method is applied to the Binary Model. Tensile, shear and bending tests were performed to verify the simulation results. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)