A Simple Discrete Method for the Simulation of the Preforming of Woven Fabric Reinforcement

In this paper, a discrete approach for the simulation of the preforming of dry woven reinforcement is proposed. A “unit cell” is built using elastic isotropic shells and axial connectors instead of bars and beams used in previous studies. Shell elements are used to take into account the in-plane shear stiffness and to manage contact phenomenon with the punch and die. Connectors reinforce the structure in the yarn directions and naturally capture the specific behavior of the fabric. To identify the material parameters, uniaxial tensile tests and bias tests have been employed. A numerical algorithm, coupling Matlab and Abaqus/Explicit, is used to determine the shear parameters by an inverse method. The model has been implemented in Abaqus to simulate hemispherical stamping. Experimental results are compared to numerical simulations, good agreement between both results is shown.