Evaluation of Permeability of Resin in Textile Composites by the Homogenization Method

Abstract

The liquid composite molding process involves the coupling between the mechanical behaviors of solids and fluids. To simulate such a process, the evaluation of the permeability is indispensable, while most of previous researches are based on the experimental approach. On the other hand, this paper adopts the mathematical theory of homogenization, which is suitable to numerical analysis. After describing the formulation of the homogenization for solid-fluid mixture, the permeabilities of typical textile composites have been evaluated with the help of the finite element method. Due to the micro-macro features of the method, the consideration of the complex microstructures of knit, woven and “Kumi” cloth has led to not only the three-dimensionally anisotropic permeabilities, but also the characteristic microscopic velocity distribution of the fluids.