CONSTITUTIVE MODELLING OF ANISOTROPIC TWO-SCALE FLOW

We recently developed a simulation tool to simulate a quite wide class of infusion processes based on a compressible porous media theory formulation involving three constituents, solid, fluid and pore gas embedded in the voids. The aim of this tool is: firstly to model the highly deformable preform and its interaction with external loading and the intrinsic fluid pressure as well as the resulting changes in permeability, compaction and level of saturation. Secondly, the aim is to track the resin flow front during the infusion process using the continuum formulation itself, thereby avoiding methods like level set, etc. [1]. In this contribution, we present a permeability model applied within the modeling framework to account for anisotropic flow in the fibre bed. The ultimate goal of the approach is to be able to simulate the infusion of high performance, large scale composite structures, in an optimized and controlled fashion