Prediction on coeff icient of thermal expansion for 22D braided C/ SiC composites

A unit cell model based on meso - structure and preparation procedure is presented for the in-plane
coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 22D braided C/ SiC composites. In this unit cell model the actual st rand cross-2 section geometry and possible gap between two adjacent st rands are taken into account . The influence of st ructure parameters on the 22D braided C/ SiC composites?coefficient of thermal expansion was predicted. The predicted result s show that the composites?CTE increases with increase of kinking distance , but decreases with increase of fiber volume fraction and void volume f raction. The test result shows that there is a good correlation between the predicted result s and the experimental values.