A Special Case of the Brinkman Equation for 2D Flow in Composite Laminates

Abstract

A composite fluid flow equation is developed as a special case of the Brinkman equation where only squeeze flow is considered transverse to the fibers and only Darcy flow is considered along the fiber direction. The model is tested at several different layups to observe the flow behavior and the percentages of squeeze and Darcy flow are compared as a function of lamina thickness, aspect ratio, and fiber volume fraction. Darcy flow contribution is shown to be greatest at low aspect ratio, low thickness, and low fiber volume fraction.