Draping simulation – the key to low cost high performance net shape parts?

Abstract

To increase the competitiveness of composite parts, it is most important to lower the recurrent costs. The Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) technology offers a great potential over prepreg by much lower material costs with equal mechanical properties. Yet the challenge is that highly com-plex 3D parts must exactly be draped from the flat fabrics to keep up their good performance and lower the amount of work. Draping simulation software predicts the flat pattern geometry and checks their producibility. To understand how the parameters of a draping simulation impact on the flat pattern precision and to find methodologies to achieve best net-shape accuracy, an extensive parameter study for different simulation software products has been performed. This paper shows the results of the parameter study and the developed methodologies.