Microstructure simulations for the textile industry

The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) has developed a microstructure simulation technology enabling the calculation of the properties of highly-complex materials and the design of new textiles for application in medicine and hygiene.

The textile industry was one of the first big German industries that moved a large proportion of their production facilities to the Far East. Nowadays, more than 50 percent of all chemical textile fibres worldwide are produced in Asia, and of this figure, more than 50 percent are produced in China. Following the long-term reduction in demand, the industry is looking more positively to the future. At the international “Textile Trends” meeting held in Berlin in February 2006, the participants expressed great optimism in view of the growing demand for technical and functional textiles. Textile structures with specific properties are entering completely new areas, for example as implants in medicine, carbon fibres in aircraft construction, interior, safety or filter systems in cars, textile reinforced concrete or as functional fabrics in high-quality clothing.

Textiles for wound treatment (Figure: Bayern Innovativ)

Nowadays, technical textiles account for 40 percent of all textiles produced in Germany. The potential for further innovation and growth in the use of fleece fabrics and tissue used in high-performance filtration and clinical applications (as implants or to enhance wound healing) is particularly high.

Virtual design of new textiles

In the past, the development of new textile structures for innovative areas of application was based on real experiments involving all kinds of different fibre shapes and mixtures. Nowadays, the properties of the material can be determined in advance using computers. Specific properties can be tested in order to develop the best product possible.

Fibre dynamics and fleece structure (Figure: ITWM)

In order to understand the three-dimensional composition and influence of geometric variations on the dynamic properties of the final product, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) in Kaiserslautern (see link at the top right-hand side) has developed techniques involving the three-dimensional image analysis and modelling of textiles as well as the simulation of dynamic features such as flow resistance.
At the cooperation forum dealing with functional textiles in Augsburg on 23rd May 2006, Dr. Konrad Steiner, head of the department of flows and complex structures at the ITWM, will present the latest results obtained in the virtual material design of textiles used in medicine and hygiene.

Microstructure simulation

The technology of microstructure simulation establishes the connection between microscopic and macroscopic properties of the microscopically heterogeneous materials. The basis of the new technology is the simulation of flows in highly complex geometries such as foams and fibre materials on the microscopic and macroscopic level. Specific mathematical tools help researchers to manage the enormous computing demands and to study the flows interactively. The first step of microstructure simulation is to model an existing material and to perform calculations on this model. Only after successful validation with measurements can the actual process of virtual material design begin. The properties of the materials are validated using tomographic scans which are used to develop three-dimensional structural models. Complex flow dynamic calculations lead to the parameters of the material investigated, which will then be integrated into software for the simulation of the product.

Fraunhofer ITWM, Kaiserslautern

GeoDict as the tool for the virtual design of materials

In the meantime, scientists led by Dr. Andreas Wiegmann (coordinator of the “microstructure simulation and virtual material design” project at the ITWM), have improved the GeoDict software to include the aforementioned functionalities as well as essential improvements and performance enhancements. GeoDict is a perfect tool for the industrial virtual design of materials using efficient PCs. Additional modules are available, including the FilterDict software which is particularly suited for filter media or SatuDict for the characterisation of saturation-dependent properties such as capillarity. These modules are used in the fleece and filter industry and are slowly entering the field of medical applications.

Dr. Franz-Josef Pfreundt and Dr. Konrad Steiner from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics won the 2001 Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize. They were honoured for their newly-developed technology of microstructure simulation. The entire industry can profit from the use of these complex mathematical methods for designing new textiles and the interest of industrial partners hoping to save time and money is huge.

EJ - 3rd May 2006
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For further information, contact:
Dr. Konrad Steiner
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]