Shape distortions in fabric reinforced composite products due to processing induced fibre reorientation

Woven fabric reinforced composite materials are typically applied in plate or shell structures, such as ribs, stiffeners and skins. Products of these types can be produced with several production processes. A few examples are diaphragm forming, matched metal die forming and rubber press forming. Shape distortions can occur during manufacturing of composite products. During the development stage of the products these distortions often exceed the high dimensional accuracy required in, for example, the aeronautical and car industry. Costly trial and error methods are generally applied to meet the dimensional accuracy. Modelling the shape distortions on beforehand can aid to reduce the development costs of these products.