Multiscale simulation and prediction of mechanical properties for carbon fiber reinforced polymer orthotropic laminate

Abstract A multiscale analysis method based on numerical homogenization is presented for predicting the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) orthogonally symmetric laminate. Initially, based on the structural characteristics of CFRP orthotropic symmetric laminate, the relational equations for calculating the mechanical engineering constants from the stiffness coefficient are proposed. Subsequently, the finite element model (FEM) of orthotropic laminate is established. Corresponding subroutines are developed through ABAQUS‐Python to extract and compute the simulation results and obtain the mechanical properties of the laminate. Next, the macroscale mechanical properties are estimated by combining the micro‐scale mechanical model, classical laminate theory (CLT), and volume averaging method. Ultimately, the accuracy of the proposed equations and the feasibility of the numerical homogenization method are demonstrated by comparing the results of numerical simulation predictions, theoretical predictions, and experiments. Highlights Present the relational equations for calculating the mechanical engineering constants of CFRP orthotropic symmetric laminate from the stiffness coefficient. Establish the FEM of orthotropic laminate and develop corresponding subroutines to obtain the mechanical properties of the laminate. Analyze the mechanical properties of orthotropic laminate through microscopic modeling and CLT.