Experimental study and finite element simulation of a glass fiber fabric shaping process

Abstract A finite element simulation is proposed for the shaping of glass fiber fabric. The overall mechanical behavior of the fabric is obtained by combining the tensile behavior of a single thread and the current position of threads in the fabric. The constitutive model for a single thread in tension is based on a statistical approach and is identified using tensile tests. Shear and tensile tests have been carried out on fabric specimens to demonstrate that the behavior of the fabric mainly results from the contribution of each thread, the sliding between fiber threads having a small effect on the energy for the deformation mechanism of these fabrics. A numerical model for the shaping process is obtained based on a finite element approach using three‐ and four‐node membrane shell elements. The formulation accounts for the large displacements and large strains involved in the process as well as the mechanical behavior. A drawing simulation is presented in the case of an hemispherical punch. The comparison with experimental results obtained in this case shows good agreement.