Non-conformal finite element homogenization applied to woven composites with complex textile architectures

A simple finite element homogenization procedure is developed for application to fiber composites with complex woven reinforcement architectures, typically 3D textiles. The purpose of the method is to accurately evaluate properties of the composite using finite element methods, with limited modeling effort. The open-source software TexGen is used to model simplified versions of complex textiles, while keeping their main characteristics intact. This leads to high penetrations, which prevent conventional meshing. A non-conformal meshing procedure is adopted, where the mesh is refined at material interfaces. Penetrations are mitigated by correcting locally the material properties of the yarns to account for their correct fiber content. The method is also compared to more sophisticated textile modeling approaches