Accurate Stress Analysis of Variable Angle Tow Shells by High-Order Equivalent-Single-Layer and Layer-Wise Finite...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Advances in composite structures enable lightweight component design.
• Automatic Fibre Placement (AFP) technology allows curvilinear fibre steering (Variable Angle Tow - VAT).
• Aerospace industry prioritizes weight savings, making composite shells crucial for supporting external loads.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the mechanical behavior of VAT composite shells.
• To investigate the impact of different external loadings and boundary conditions on VAT shells.
• To compare numerical models with commercial finite element analysis software.

Main Methods:

• Employing the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) for systematic and hierarchical structural modeling.
• Developing numerical models to simulate the mechanical response of VAT composite shells.
• Utilizing commercial software (Abaqus) for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

• The study provides insights into the mechanical performance of VAT composite shells under various conditions.
• Numerical models developed using CUF accurately represent the behavior of these advanced structures.
• Comparison with Abaqus validates the outcomes of the proposed modeling approach.

Conclusions:

• VAT composite shells present a promising solution for lightweight aerospace structures.
• The Carrera Unified Formulation offers a robust method for analyzing complex composite shell behaviors.
• This research contributes to the development of optimized composite structures for weight-critical applications.