An efficient method to introduce stiffness effects of structured geometries of highly flexible material into simulations is developed. These stiffness characteristics are represented by a non-linear anisotropic model valid for finite strains. A parameter identification process is carried out on the basis of numerical experiments utilising a representative volume element approach. The parameters of the anisotropic model are obtained through an iterative optimisation procedure with an evolution strategy. Numerical experiments underline the properties of the formulation proposed. A typical field of application, which is shown herein, is the simulation of tyre tread pattern.
