Adaptive Remeshing of Composite Fabrics During the Forming Process

Abstract : Continuous fibre reinforced composites are now firmly established engineering materials for manufacturing of components in automotive and aerospace industries. In this study, we propose a new approach to simulate the deformation of composite fabrics. A bi-component finite element based on an association of 3D membrane finite elements and truss finite elements is used to represent warp and weft fibres behaviour. During the simulations of the forming process, severe shear of fibres occurs due to the large displacements. It is then necessary to remesh the part to carry out the finite element analysis. This paper presents the remeshing method allowing refining and coarsening the mesh of the composite structure subjected to large displacement.