Meso-level textile composites simulations: Open data exchange and scripting

Abstract

The article presents a user interface for modelling of textile composites, which combines open XML input and output formats with scripting for definitions of the reinforcement models under (local) shear, tension and compression deformations. The open input format (parameters of the textile reinforcement) allows easy integration of a meso-level (unit cell) textile processor upstream – with, for example, textile process modelling software or forming models, which define local parameters of the textile reinforcement. The scripting command format makes possible automated processing of the information on local reinforcement deformation conditions, and offers itself to be integrated in user software without accessing or knowing internal computational procedures or native data formats of meso-level textile processor. The open output format allows transferring the results of the meso-level textile processor downstream to meso-level models of the micromechanics or the permeability of a textile composite unit cell. These results can be further streamed to allow macro-level structural, forming or impregnation analysis. The integration approach is illustrated for meso-level textile processor – WiseTex software, integrated with processing of digital images and calculations of the fabric permeability tensor, micromechanics models and meso-level finite element ABAQUS model.