Use of numerical simulation of woven reinforcementforming at mesoscale: Influence of transversecompression on the global response

Among the possible forming processes for structural composite parts, the Liquid Composite Moulding ones are widely used. For such kind of forming process, a resin injection phase occurs after the forming of a dry fibrous reinforcement skeleton. Several parameters can affect the quality of the manufactured part. It has been experimentally proved that the deformation of the fibrous reinforcement has a significant influence on its permeability. In order to evaluate that parameter, it is necessary to have a realistic deformed solid skeleton. During the pre-forming stage, the fibrous reinforcement can be subjected to different kind of loading: yarn tension and in-plane shear to obtain the correct part shape, but also transverse compression. The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of that last loading mode on the global state of the solid skeleton. For that purpose, two aspects are explored. First, numerical simulations are performed at the mesoscopic scale: a finite element model of the smallest pattern of the woven textile is realized in which each yarn is modelled used 3D elements. The constitutive behaviour of the yarn must exhibit the specificities of a fibrous material. Secondly, experimental characterization of the yarn material is realized. For that, a new experimental setup is used which allow to investigate the relation between longitudinal tension and transverse compression stiffness of the yarn. This allows determining the material parameters used in the yarn constitutive equation. The other material parameters are determined using a tensile test and an in-plane shear test. X-ray tomography gives geometrical validations of the model.