Dynamic simulation of discrete fiber motion in fiber-reinforced composite materials processing

Abstract

The prediction of fiber orientation is critical in short-fiber-reinforced composite systems. Fiber orientation during the manufacturing process largely determines the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the final product. For example, a product with aligned fibers, i.e. fibers mostly oriented in the same direction, has much better mechanical properties than that with random fiber orientation. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element simulation tool is developed to study fiber suspensions in various viscous flows, including homogeneous flows and inhomogeneous flows (such as Poiseuille flows). Instead of using commercial finite element solver, we propose a finite element-based simulation package coupled with the analytical Jacobian matrix in the Newton–Raphson iteration in solving fiber’s velocities. The proposed method is extended to investigate the hydrodynamic interaction between fibers, and the change of fiber motion and fluid rheological properties.