Design and Fabrication of 3-D Woven Composite Preforms with Complex Topologies

The purpose of this research is to develop a design and manufacturing algorithm of 3-D weaving processes for woven composite preforms with complex shapes, such as integrated woven composite preforms for stiffened structural panels, for tubular components, and for stiffened tubular components. Three design modes are introduced to generate fabric patterns. Warp-yarn paths are defined by two warp matrices, weft-yarn paths by two weft matrices. Fabric topology is then derived from these two sets of matrices. A link is established between fabric topology and weaving matrix, which determines the kinematics of the Jacquard weaving loom. A CAM/CAD tool is developed based on the new algorithm. There are two output files. One relates to fabric topology, which can be applied to determine fabric microgeometry; the other to the kinematics of the Jacquard weaving loom, which can be input into the controller of the 3-D weaving machine. Several detailed design examples are presented.