Investigations of Edge Cutting Effects on Mechanical Behaviors of 3D Braided Composites with Different Braiding Angles

Three-dimensional braided composites (3DBCs) exhibit broad application prospects in the aerospace field due to their excellent mechanical properties. Considering that composites require cutting processing during real applications, this study employs a combination of experimental and finite element analysis methods to investigate the influence of edge cutting on the compressive and flexural properties of 3DBCs. In the finite element model, full-scale mesostructural models with intact and edge-cut structures were constructed based on identical unit cell size parameters. The findings reveal that the effect of edge cutting on composite mechanical properties depends on the braiding angle, primarily because the deformation resistance of braided yarns varies with different braiding angles. However, the influence mechanisms of edge cutting on braided composites with large braiding angles differ between compressive and flexural loading modes. The results of this study can provide a reference for the practical application of 3DBCs.