Numerical analysis of large deformation of cellular textile composites

This paper presents finite element simulation and analysis of large deformation of a grid-domed textile composite, consisting of flat-topped conical cells, under quasi-static axial compression. Based on the experimental observation and previous theoretical analyses, a pair of transverse forces applied at the appropriate opposite positions of the conical shell wall is introduced as the initial imperfection to stimulate the diamond-pattern deformation-mode of an anisotropic cell. Detailed geometric changes at the cell-top and cell-bottom are modelled to simulate the contact conditions of the displacement-controlled axial compression process in the experiments. The FE simulation results are found in good agreement with experimental results and theoretical analyses in deformation-mode and load-carrying capacity.