Modelling of textile composite reinforcements on the micro-scale

Numerical simulation tools are increasingly used for developing novel composites and composite reinforcements. The aim of this paper is the application of digital elements for the simulation of the mechanical behaviour of textile reinforcement structures by means of a finite element analysis. The beneficial computational cost of these elements makes them applicable for the use in large models with a solution on near micro-scale. The representation of multifilament yarn models by a large number of element-chains is highly suitable for the analysis of structural and geometrical effects. In this paper, a unit cell generating method for technical reinforcement textiles, using digital elements for the discretization, is introduced.