Approximating elastic modulus of a tubular braided fabric under compressive deformation using FEM and experimental data

Abstract

This paper presents a modelling approach for approximation of the elastic modulus of a tubular (circular) braided fabric model based on python programming and experimental test data for compressive deformation. The python scripts developed in this paper allowed models to be generated easily for realistic tubular braided fabric, with suitable functions to mesh the model, assign material orientations and properties to elements, and export the model to ABAQUS FE software. In this study Abaqus Finite Element (FE) software is used, incorporating an isotropic material law for approximating the elastic modulus of the braided fabric while comparing the results with test data for selected levels of the modulus when the structure is under uniaxial compression. The FE data validated using load and deformation data from experimental values indicated that for the selected samples of the braided fabric the modulus of the structure would lie between 7GPa-10GPa.