High fidelity modelling of the compression behaviour of 2D woven fabrics

This paper proposes a new method for predicting the compression behaviour of 2D woven fabrics during the consolidation phase of Liquid Composite Moulding processes. A kinematic, multi-chain beam finite element method is first used to simulate the evolution of the internal architecture of a 2D woven fabric during single and multi-layer compaction processes. A hyper-elastic constitutive model, based on the compressive response of a single yarn, is then proposed and implemented into a finite element framework for analysis of the mechanical loading of the dry fabric. This utilises as-woven fabric geometries generated by the kinematic models, thus enabling predictions to be independent of detailed geometric and mechanical characterisation of physical fabric specimens. The model’s ability to predict both the kinematic and mechanical response of the fabric, under compressive loads, is assessed by comparing the model outputs with X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scans and the experimentally measured compaction response.