Different approaches for woven composite reinforcement forming simulation

Different approaches used for the simulation of woven reinforcement forming are investigated. Especially several methods based on finite element approximation are presented. Some are based on continuous modelling, while others, called discrete or mesoscopic approaches, model the components of the fabric. A semi discrete finite element made of woven unit cells under biaxial tension and in-plane shear is detailed. In continuous approaches, the difficulty lies in the necessity to take the strong specificity of the fibrous material into account. The yarn directions must be strictly followed during the large strains of the fabric. This is the main goal of the non-orthogonal model and of the hypoelastic constitutive model based on the yarn rotation presented in this paper. In the case of discrete and semi-discrete approaches the directions of the yarns are “naturally” followed because the yarns are modeled. Explicitly, however, modeling each component at the mesoscopic scale can lead to high numerical cost.