Modeling of the geometry and numerical calculation of the elasticity parameters of 3D braided shapes

Complex braided shapes are more and more often used for different technical applications. The calculation of the parameters of braided structures, based on the machine and yarn data, has only been published for simple regular shapes yet. In this work, the yarn paths are calculated using a new simulation of the braid structure. It calculates the yarn paths, taking into account the geometry of the shape which is covered, as well as the take down speed and the yarn cross section parameters. The cover factor and braiding angle at each point of the shape are available from the simulated yarn geometry. Using additional algorithms, the elasticity modules for each base cell are calculated. Additional to the implemented calculation algorithms, an export of the yarn geometry to the FEM software ANSYS is included, which allows further calculations using the yarn axes or yarn volumes. In order to verify the results, different 3D bodies are covered with braid with a small number of carriers – from 12 up to 48 – with different take down speeds. The yarn paths in these forms are detected optically and compared with the simulated ones. The first verifications demonstrated a very good correlation between the simulated and experimental results.