Mesoscale draping simulation of carbon fiber mat for arbitrary weave architecture

We perform a mesoscale draping simulation using a woven carbon fiber mat model consisting of fiber bundles. The deformation of various types of fabrics during draping is predicted using fiber bundle data; no fabric experiments are necessary. First, bending experiments and simulations are performed to determine the material constants of the fiber bundle. To confirm the validity of the mesoscale model, we compare the experimental and simulation results of bias-extension tests. The simulated test shows that the simulation reproduces the deformation behavior of the carbon fiber mat under tensile force. The draping of a plain-weave or twill-weave carbon fiber mat on a hemispheric mold is simulated using the proposed mesoscale model and investigated experimentally. The results confirm that the simulation reproduces the deformation of the fabric using only the fiber bundle data.