Nonlinear behavior of thick composites with uniform fiber waviness

A constitutive model was proposed to study the effects of fiber waviness on the elastic properties and nonlinear behavior of unidirectional composites under tensile, compressive, and flexural loadings. The material and geometric nonlinearities due to fiber waviness were incorporated in the analyses. Specimens with various degrees of fiber waviness were fabricated. Tensile, compressive, and flexural tests were conducted to verify the predictions obtained from the model. Experimental results were in good agreement with the predictions.