Simulating the Effects of Fabric Draping Deformations on the Properties of Composite Structures

Process simulation tools are widely used to model the draping of woven fabrics over complex surfaces. The resulting draping information is used to assess manufacturability, but is often not accurately represented in... [ view full abstract ]

Process simulation tools are widely used to model the draping of woven fabrics over complex surfaces. The resulting draping information is used to assess manufacturability, but is often not accurately represented in structural or thermal simulation: In some software, the relative orientations of the weft and warp fibers may be ignored. In others, the ply is divided into two sub-plies oriented along the warp and the weft, which is a good approach for non-crimp fabrics, but not necessarily for woven materials. These two approaches cannot produce accurate predictions of part elasticity, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and strength when fabric shearing is present. A model is currently being developed to adequately account for the inherent ply property changes caused by the draping process. Preliminary results given as examples demonstrate the importance of those changes.
This project is undertaken with the financial support of the Canadian Space Agency.