Microscopic approaches for understanding the mechanical behaviour of reinforcement in composites

An approach to the mechanical behaviour of textile composites at the scale of their constituting fibres, using an implicit finite element simulation code, is proposed in this chapter. The approach is based on efficient methods and algorithms to detect and take into account contact-friction interactions between elementary fibres. It allows one to model samples of woven textile composites made of a few hundreds of fibres, with an elastic matrix. The approach is employed first to determine the initial configuration of woven fabric samples, before applying to them various loadings in order to identify their mechanical properties under various solicitations