This thesis focuses of the mechanical behavior and damage of a 3D braided composite. The material analysis is based on experimental and numerical approaches. First, mechanical tests have identified all the necessary elastic moduli to determine the stiffness matrix of the material. Similarly, experimental tests were performed to study the material damage process using two investigation methods. The first consists on using a camera with a large magnifier in order to observe damage mechanisms created during loading. The second uses the acoustic emission technique to detect in real time the same phenomena. The coupling of the two methods allowed to establish the chronology of the development of these damage mechanisms. In numerical terms, a multiscale analysis approach enables to evaluate the impact of transverse cracks and debonding on the mechanical properties. Thus, a representative cell of the material microstructure is built to predict the macroscopic properties of the material from the properties of its constituents. Defects are introduced during the meshing using a program that allows duplication of nodes at the interfaceto create debonding or to create transverse cracks inside yarns. Through the same homogenization process, the damaged material properties are determined and compared to that of the undamaged material. Finally, a design of tanks are proposed by using strength criteria for their validation.
