Damage behaviors of plain-woven fiber reinforced composites with different orientations: From mesoscopic evolution to macroscopic performance prediction

•Meso-scale simulations combining the damage of yarn, pure matrix, and debonding.•Systematic damage analyses of different oriented composites upon tension/bending.•Mechanisms leading to property differences of composites with different orientations.•The order of tensile damage mechanism is clearly identified.•Meso-macro models were combined for property prediction & design optimization. This paper investigates the tensile/bending mechanical properties, damage behaviors, and performance prediction of plain-woven composites with different orientations by numerical simulations and physical experiments. The mesoscopic model reproduces damage modes of yarn, pure matrix, and interfacial debonding by user-defined subroutine. On this basis, relevant physical experiments were conducted for comprehensive verification. Then, the influences of orientation on the mechanical properties of the composites and their tensile/bending damage processes were systematically analyzed, and meso-macro scale simulations were carried out for performance prediction and optimization design of multilayer composites. The results show that the tensile/bending strength of the composites decreases and the ductility increases with the increase of orientation angle, among which the ductility of 45° orientation is the best. The primary damage mechanism in tensile process is changed from fiber fracture and matrix cracking to yarns pullout and debonding damage. The orientation can change the primary damage mechanism and improve composite properties by changing the location, time, and degree of damage occurrence. In addition, meso-macro scale simulations can predict and optimize the properties of multilayer composites more efficiently and shorten the optimization design cycle of composites.