An efficient hyper-elastic model for the preforming simulation of Carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement

An efficient hyper-elastic model that can reflect the primary mechanical behaviors of Carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement was developed and implemented with VUMAT constitutive code for preforming simulation. The model parameters were accurately determined through the uniaxial and bias-extension tests. To calibrate the simulation code, preforming experiments of hybrid woven reinforcement over the hemisphere mold and tetrahedron mold were respectively conducted to validate the proposed hyper-elastic model. The comparison between the simulations and experiments shows that the model can not only accurately capture shear angle distribution and geometry shape after deformation, but also accurately predict the force–displacement curve and potential fiber tensile failure during the preforming process. This result indicates that the proposed model can be used to predict the preforming behavior of Carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement, and simulate its manufacturing process of complicated geometry.