Analysis of Long Fibers Direction of Transversely Isotropic Hyperelastic Material for Thermoforming Application

In this work, we present the modeling and numerical simulation using the explicit dynamic finite element method for the hyperelastic behavior of a thin, transversely isotropic and incompressible thermoplastic membrane. The Lagrangian formulation together with the assumption of the membrane theory is used. The numerical validation is performed by comparing the theoretical solution for the uniaxial and equibiaxial Hencky deformation with the numerical results. Moreover, the effect of the transversely hyperelastic material on the thickness and on the stress distribution, for the membrane inflation, are analyzed for three different fibers orientations. Finally, a simple example of thermoforming part is presented.