Discrete models of woven structures. Macroscopic approach

A discrete model of a woven fabric structure has been established, whereby nodes endowed with a mass and a rotational rigidity are connected by extensible bars to form a two-dimensional truss. The set of four bars that delineate a quadrilateral element—the unit cell of the micromechanical analysis—is further endowed with a torsion deformation mode. The equilibrium shape of the structure is obtained as the minimum of its total potential energy versus the set of kinematic translational and rotational variables, accounting for eventual kinematic constraints due to contact with a rigid surface. A linearized stability analysis is performed, and the potentiality of the model is illustrated by fabric draping simulations.