Methodology for Analysis of the Deformations of a Wetsuit Using 4D Scanning and FEM Simulation

As a recently established field, 4D body scanning offers significant potential for application in the clothing development.It enables various forms of analysis of the movement of a body, without having to physically interact with it or destroy it.The objective of this study is to identify the most optimal sequence of stages for preparing a sample for analysis and following scanning and FEM analysis.A body-clothing interaction between a neoprene surfing wetsuit and a person was taken as an example scenario to apply the steps on.The chosen example outlined various weak spots in the methodology at every stage of the process.The following issues were identified and subsequently addressed: failure of the homologous mesh generation process following 4D scanning, suit detection failure during scanning, suit digitalization, and complications associated with the simulation modelling process.Two separate material testing techniques are applied, ensuring that accurate material properties are obtained for the simulation phase.Each stage is discussed, outlining all assumptions and limitations taken into consideration.The results present a proposal of the most efficient analysis algorithm, including all issue workarounds.The methodology presents a method for improvement of higher performance wetsuits, by establishing precise simulation models and using high speed (4D) body scanning techniques.