RÉSUMÉ

The permeability of textile reinforcements is a crucial input to the simulation of a composite material process. In this paper, we present an accurate simulation approach for identifying fiber reinforcement permeability in the resin transfer moulding (RTM) process. The Gauss−Newton− Levenberg−Marquardt method was utilized to identify the permeabilities of fibrous reinforcement. Knowing the boundary conditions, the permeability can be deduced from pressure values at some given positions through the part. Starting from the initial estimate of permeability, the inverse method begins by solving the direct problem. The solution gives the pressure field everywhere in a composite sample. The calculated pressure field is then compared with an analytical pressure based on a criterion. The permeability is modified iteratively so as to minimize this criterion until the desired accuracy is achieved. A comparison between experimental and the computed parameters is used as convergence criteria in the iterative inverse technique, and good agreement is found.