Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Youqi Wang / Textile fabrics and textile composite materials demonstrate exceptional mechanical properties, including high stiffness, high strength to weight ratio, damage tolerance, chemical resistance, high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion. Recent advances in weaving techniques have caused various textile fabrics to gain applications in high performance products, such as aircrafts frames, aircrafts engine blades, ballistic panels, helmets, aerospace components, racing car bodies, net-shape joints and blood vessels. Fabric mechanical properties are determined by fabric internal architectures and fabric micro-geometries are determined by the textile manufacturing process. As the need for high performance textile materials increases, textile preforms with improved thickness and more complex structures are designed and manufactured. Therefore, the study of textile fabrics requires a reliable and efficient CAD/CAM tool that models fabric micro-geometry through computer simulation and links the manufacturing process with fabric micro-geometry, mechanical properties and weavability. Dynamic Weaving Process Simulation is developed to simulate the entire textile process. It employs the digital element approach to simulate weaving actions, reed motion, boundary tension and fiber-to-fiber contact and friction. Dynamic Weaving Process Simulation models a Jacquard loom machine, in which the weaving process primarily consists of four steps: weft insertion, beating up, weaving and taking up. Dynamic Weaving Process Simulation simulates these steps according to the underlying loom kinematics and kinetics. First, a weft yarn moves to the fell position under displacement constraints, followed by a beating-up action performed by reed elements. Warp yarns then change positions according to the yarn interlacing pattern defined by a weaving matrix, and taking-up action is simulated to collect woven fabric for continuous weaving process simulation. A Jacquard loom machine individually controls each warp yarn for maximum flexibility of warp motion, managed by the weaving matrix in simulation. Constant boundary tension is implemented to simulate the spring at each warp end. In addition, process simulation adopts re-mesh function to store woven fabric and add new weft yarns for continuous weaving simulation. Dynamic Weaving Process Simulation fully models loom kinetics and kinematics involved in the weaving process. However, the step-by-step simulation of the 3D weaving process requires additional calculation time and computer resource. In order to promote simulation efficiency, enable finer yarn discretization and improve accuracy of fabric micro geometry, parallel computing is implemented in this research and efficiency promotion is presented in this dissertation. The Dynamic Weaving Process Simulation model links fabric micro-geometry with the manufacturing process, allowing determination of weavability of specific weaving pattern and process design. Effects of various weaving process parameters on fabric micro-geometry, fabric mechanical properties and weavability can be investigated with the simulation method.

In this paper I have investigated the role of the weaver, from my own perspective as a weaver. I have discussed weaving in relation to function and painting, and how the weaving process and the collaboration with the loom have a great impact on what I create. I have found it difficult to believe in the future as a weaver, and with this project I wanted to find a meaning with weaving that I can lean on.   All five weaves are woven on the same warp, I call it a warp family. Every weave is a try and a failure to weave a rug. Instead they have all turned into different characters, portraying my ongoing struggle with, and love for, the warp.    I’ve come to the conclusion that for me the rug is a symbol for honesty in making, and that it’s function is to remind us about values that often are neglected. The visible process, the human presence, is then more important than aspects like functionality or perfection.

La simulation du procédé de fabrication de renforts fibreux secs est un enjeu majeur pour l’étude de l’élaboration de matériaux composites, dont l’utilisation dans les industries de pointe s’intensifie rapidement. Ainsi, l’influence du métier à tisser sur la qualité des renforts est primordiale dans la caractérisation de leurs propriétés mécaniques. Une campagne d’essais expérimentaux est tout d’abord réalisée, de manière à identifier les phénomènes physiques mis en jeu. Les différents modes de déformation de la mèche sont ainsi étudiés : élongation, compaction, cisaillement et distorsion. Est étudié également le comportement en flexion et en frottement, afin de mieux appréhender l’effet du procédé de tissage sur les mèches. Deux types de lois de comportement élastiques sont envisagés : une loi hypoélastique et une loi hyperélastique. Sont développées les propriétés de chacune d’entre elles, ainsi que les grandeurs caractéristiques nécessaires à leur implémentation dans le logiciel commercial ABAQUS/Standard. Les algorithmes de deux subroutines sont présentés, correspondant à l’une ou l’autre de ces lois. Le choix est fait de modéliser le comportement mécanique de la mèche à l’aide d’une loi hyperélastique isotrope transverse de type St-Venant, par l’intermédiaire de la subroutine ABAQUS/Standard UANISOHYPER_INV. Enfin, une identification des paramètres matériau à l’aide d’une méthode inverse est proposée. Sont comparés les résultats obtenus par simulation avec les résultats expérimentaux. La loi de comportement alors déterminée permet de mettre en place des simulations de procédé de tissage. / Simulating the manufacturing process of woven preforms is a major stack for understanding the development of composite materials, used in high performance industries. The effect of the weaving loom on the preforms is very important to caracterize their mechanicals properties. Experimental tests are realised to identify the physical phenomenon. Different deformation modes are studied : elongation, compaction, shear and distortion. The bending and friction behavior are also important to understand the effect of weaving process. Two constitutive laws are considered : a hypoelastic law and a hyperelastic law. An analyse of their properties is presented, and their implementation in a commercial software, ABAQUS/Standard, is detailed. In this purpose, two subroutines can be used. The modelisation of the mechanical behavior of the tows is finally realised with a transversely isotropic hyperelastic St-Venant model, with the subroutine ABAQUS/Standard UANISOHYPER_INV. To conclude, an identification method is presented and the simulated results are compared to experimental tests. The obtained consitutive behavior is finally used to simulate the weaving process.

L'industrie aéronautique doit faire face aux nouvelles exigences environnementales, tout particulièrement concernant la réduction de la consommation des énergies fossiles. L'utilisation de matériaux composites plus léger permet de répondre en partie à cette attente. Pour limiter les coûts lors de la fabrication et du développement des composites à renforts tissés 3D, il est nécessaire d'utiliser des outils de simulation performants. En particulier, les outils existants, qui discrétisent à une échelle mésoscopique l'architecture des tissus 3D, ne tiennent pas compte de l'influence du procédé de fabrication sur la constitution de la structure textile. Si des outils numériques dédiés à la modélisation du procédé de tressage et de tricotage sont disponibles, il n'en est rien concernant le tissage. Cette étude avait donc pour but de s'intéresser plus particulièrement à la simulation du prodécé de tissage pour pouvoir obtenir une structure de tissu sèche déformée numériquement. La production de différentes architectures de tissu en verre E dans notre laboratoire nous a permis d'observer les différents éléments en contact avec le fil ou le tissu sur la machine à tisser, par le biais de l'utilisation d'une caméra rapide par exemple. Le développement d'un modèle numérique par éléments finis reproduisant le procédé de tissage a été réalisé. Une loi de comportement isotrope transverse fut utilisée pour modéliser les fils de verre. Des premières simulations numériques encourageantes pour la fabrication d'un tissu d'armure toile et d'un tissu d'armure croisé 2-2 sont présentées et comparées avec les tissus réels produits correspondants. / The aeronautical industry faces new challenges regarding the reduction of fossil fuel consumption. One way to address this issue is to use lighter composite materials. The ability to predict the geometry and the mechanical properties of the unit cell is necessary in order to develop 3D reinforcements in composite materials for these aeronautical applications. There is a difficulty to get realistic geometries for these unit cells due to the complexity of their architecture. Currently, existing tools which model 3D fabrics at a meso scale don't take into account manufacturing process influence on the shape modification of the textile structure. There is already some numerical tools that can model the braiding or knitting process, but none have been developed for weaving so far. Consequently, this study deals with the numerical simulation of the weaving process to obtain a deformed dry fabric structure. During the weaving process of E-glass fabrics, achieved in our laboratory, it has been observed that large deformations led to the modification of transverse section of meshes, or local density changes, that can modify the fabrics mechanical resistance. For this reason, a numerical tool of the weaving process, based on finite element modelling, has been developped to predict these major deformations and their influences on the final textile structure. The correlation between numerical results and fabrics produced with glass fibres has been achieved for plain weave and 2-2 twill.