The Influence of Crimp Measurements on the Development and Appraisal of 3D Fully Integrated Woven Structures

There is a need for an analytical assessment of the properties of 3D woven structures. In this paper a sophisticated method of predicting the proportions of fibre in three mutually perpendicular axes, X (warp), Y (weft) and Z (through-the-thickness), of 3D fully integrated complex woven structures is described. Unlike previous models, this system takes into account in-layer crimp in both the warp and weft directions. The system has been validated against woven fabric structures and regression analysis has predicted a high level of confidence in the results. The method has also been compared with previous methods and has been shown to provide superior results.