Modeling and simulation of 3D woven structures and their composites

The eminence of composite material produced using textile reinforcement depends largely on architecture of the fibrous assemblies. To ensure the production of high quality textile reinforced structural composites and to minimise the cost in designing such composites, it is necessary to develop methods to predict the physical and mechanical properties of the reinforcements. The thesis presents a comprehensive review of previous research into geometrical modeling of three dimensional (3D) woven fabrics and finite element (FE) modeling of their composites. A review of micromechanical models for predicting the properties of 3D woven composites is also presented. From this review, gaps and challenges are identified in the prediction of geometrical parameters of various 3D woven constructions and current understanding of the mechanical properties of 3D woven composites, which form the basis of the research presented in this thesis. This thesis employs a modeling approach in predicting geometrical and mechanical properties of 3D textile structures. New and existing algorithms are combined together to form a consistent modeling approach.