Shape weaving shell geometries

The general verbalization of this method is still today useful to explain how woven fabrics become a shell three-dimensional geometry during the interlacing process of warp and weft threads. However, the practical operability of a weaving process using a shaped breast beam appears to be difficult and limited to relatively short shell geometries. 

A change of size or shell geometry requires another beam size or beam shape and subsequently in addition to beam manufacture costs a certain downtime and setup of the weaving machine. 

Figure 4.15 Examples of suitable shell geometries for shape weaving.

Shape weaving is the latest development in this area and provides a process that is automated and capable of large serial production. Cycle times of shell woven preforms are within some minutes. A textile design of the complicated 3D fabric construction needs to combine geometry and woven fabric requirements and is preferably done by special CAD software. Simulation software enables optimization of the woven 3D reinforcement according to stiffness requirements of a composite application. 

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