Sheet Hydroforming of Woven FRT Composites: Non-orthogonal Constitutive Equation Considering Shear Stiffness and Undulation of Woven Structure

Abstract

For the simulation of sheet hydroforming for the shaping of woven fabric reinforced thermo-plastic (FRT) composites, a nonorthogonal constitutive model was developed based on a homogenization method by considering the microstructures of composites including mechanical and structural properties of the fabric reinforcement. This model is modified to capture the wrinkling behavior due to the undulation geometry of the woven structure and shear stiffness at the crossover of the warp and weft yarns of woven FRT composites. The model was implemented in an explicit dynamic finite element code to analyze the forming behavior of woven FRT during the stamp thermo-hydroforming process. Wrinkling behavior was investigated based on the application of a counteracting fluid pressure and changes to the initial blank shape.