Forming Simulation of Fabrics and Power-net with Commercialized Finite Element Method.

In the processes of liquid molding of fiber composites, such as resin transfer molding, fabrics are often formed in deep drawing, which gives rise to large shear deformation. In this paper, we simulate the fabric shaping process using the commercially available FEM program, LS-DYNA, in order to predict the properties of the resulting fiber composites. Plain woven fabric and power-net are modeled using beam and spring elements, which simulate yarn tensile property and fabric bending and shearing property, respectively. Inter-yarn sliding and yarn waviness are neglected. Coulomb law is applied on contact surfaces. The numerical results on yarn deformation are in good agreement with experiments. The deep drawing processes of plain woven fabrics and power-nets have been examined. The good formability of power-net structure has been confirmed numerically.