Article
Mechanics
Ebrahim Oromiehie, Asit Kumar Gain, B. Gangadhara Prusty
Summary: This study investigates the capability of HGT-based AFP for manufacturing high-quality thermoplastic composite laminates and its parametric optimisation. The results show that the choice of processing parameters has a critical impact on the mechanical strength and overall quality of the laminate.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Tamer A. Sebaey, Mohamed Bouhrara, Noel O'Dowd
Summary: In this study, laser-assisted ATP technology was used to manufacture two thermoplastic composites, which showed a higher amount of voids compared to thermoset composites but improvement in fiber distribution and misalignment.
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Xie Li, Jonathan Dufty, Garth M. Pearce
Summary: Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) and Filament Winding (FW) technologies offer flexibility in adjusting composite material performance, but can lead to geometric defects. This paper presents a high-fidelity geometric modelling tool for tow-wise manufactured laminates to accurately predict structural performance, demonstrated through several case studies.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Manufacturing
Matthew J. Donough, Shafaq, Nigel A. St John, Andrew W. Philips, B. Gangadhara Prusty
Summary: Thermoplastic composites offer advantages in terms of mechanical performance, thermoformability, and recyclability compared to thermoset composites. There is growing interest in these materials due to advancements in automated fibre placement and out-of-autoclave in-situ consolidation. However, concerns remain regarding manufacturing defects, such as voids and poor interlaminar bonding, which have hindered wider adoption of in-situ consolidated thermoplastic composites. Process modelling is a valuable tool for understanding and predicting defect development during in-situ consolidation, and this review paper discusses different approaches and material models used by researchers. The current limitations and future directions of process modelling for in-situ consolidation are also explored.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Alexander Air, Md Shamsuddoha, B. Gangadhara Prusty
Summary: Hydrogen is considered a promising energy medium and is often stored in high-pressure composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs). The current state-of-the-art technology, Type V, relies on carbon fiber laminate for structural properties and gas leakage prevention. However, achieving functionality at high pressure poses engineering challenges. The traditional filament winding manufacturing process for COPVs has limitations in design space, but automated fiber placement (AFP) has the potential to overcome these limitations and optimize vessel manufacturing.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Cheng Chen, Luyang Gong, Wei Jiang, Zhikun Chen, Wenlong Chen, Xusheng Du, Helezi Zhou, Zhigao Huang, Huamin Zhou
Summary: By using carbon nanotube forest technology, the photothermal conversion efficiency of the poly-ether-ether-ketone/glass fiber prepregs during the laser-assisted automated fiber placement process is enhanced, resulting in increased placement speed and reduced energy consumption.
COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Yi Di Boon, Sunil Chandrakant Joshi, Somen Kumar Bhudolia
Summary: This paper reviews the factors affecting the in situ consolidation process and discusses the models used to study various aspects of the process. It compiles and emphasizes the processing parameters that have yielded good consolidation results in past studies, serving as reference points for future research to enhance automated manufacturing processes.
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Jiping Chen, Kunkun Fu, Yan Li
Summary: This study investigated the effects of laser-assisted automated fibre placement (AFP) on the mechanical properties of carbon fibre (CF)/polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) composites, with results indicating that interlaminar void content plays a significant role in determining the mechanical properties of the composites.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Ka Zhang, Haoqi Zhang, Jiang Wu, Jiayun Chen, Dongmin Yang
Summary: This study investigates the mechanism of fibre deposition in conventional 3D printing and presents an aligned fibre deposition (AFD) method to improve the fibre placement. The AFD method reduces fibre waviness and twisting, resulting in smooth filament deformation, less air voids, and fibre breakage during printing. It also improves the fibre alignment angle from ±25 degrees to ±12 degrees and reduces void content to 0.27% during straight-line deposition.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Emad Pourahmadi, Farjad Shadmehri, Rajamohan Ganesan
Summary: This research compares the mechanical properties of laminates manufactured using automated fiber placement and conventional autoclave curing methods. The results show that laminates manufactured using automated fiber placement have a lower interlaminar shear strength compared to laminates reconsolidated using autoclave curing. A finite element simulation method is proposed to quantitatively analyze these differences.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Duc H. Nguyen, Xiaochuan Sun, Iryna Tretiak, Mario A. Valverde, James Kratz
Summary: Deposition defects in automated fibre placement (AFP) can be reduced by identifying and reacting to defects in real-time during deposition. This study augmented an AFP process with profilometry sensors and software control to demonstrate the concept. The experiment revealed that the observe-think-react concept in AFP is feasible and can lead to improvements in material microstructure and waviness in the final cured laminate.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Navid Niknafs Kermani, Verena Gargitter, Pavel Simacek, Suresh G. Advani
Summary: Automated Tape Placement (ATP) is an attractive automated composite manufacturing process that reduces labor cost, increases production rate, and improves repeatability by building parts with unidirectional prepreg tapes. However, inevitable defects such as gaps between neighboring tapes during lay up present challenges in this method. This paper presents a model to simulate the gap-filling process and proposes predictions for resin flow and gap thickness, which are validated by experimental results and micrographs.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Ajay Kumar Kadiyala, Thomas O'Shaughnessy, Stephen Lee, Alexandre Portela, Anthony Comer
Summary: This research explores the use of dry fibre placement and vacuum assisted liquid resin infusion to fabricate thermoplastic acrylic resin composites, and investigates the influence of water immersion on their performance. The study examines the thermomechanical behavior of aged and unaged samples, as well as changes in flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength.
COMPOSITES COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Mechanics
Shimin Lu, Anthony Evans, Thomas Turner
Summary: In this study, a finite element model is developed to analyze the pressure applied by a compaction roller on the fibrous reinforcement bed. The research finds that increasing tool curvature decreases the uniformity of compaction pressure under the same compaction force. The model is used to determine the force input target bounds for different rollers on tools with different curvatures. It is found that softer rollers have a larger force control window and are suitable for tools with higher curvature. Thick substrates exhibit large deformation, which increases complexity for force control strategies.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Anastasios Danezis, David Williams, Michael Edwards, Alexandros A. Skordos
Summary: Flashlamp systems introduce versatile heating methods to automated tape placement, offering better control and optimization potential. Studies show that parameters such as pulse duration and frequency significantly influence temperature distribution. The versatility of flashlamp heating expands the processing envelope of automated tape placement.
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
R. Telford, D. M. J. Peeters, M. Rouhi, P. M. Weaver
Summary: In this study, a three-point bending test is used to evaluate buckling behavior, which is quick, simple, and cost-effective compared to existing methods. The proposed method introduces compression-induced buckling in a panel by bending it with auxiliary stiffeners, and the location of the stiffeners can be tailored to control the stress gradient in the skin.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Hasan M. Khalid, Saheed O. Ojo, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: A novel two-dimensional inverse differential quadrature method is proposed to approximate the solution of high-order system of differential equations. The method improves the accuracy of the approximation by avoiding the high sensitivity of high-order numerical differentiation operations to noise. The study also presents a general framework for approximating arbitrary functions from high-order partial derivatives and analyzes the bending and buckling behaviors of laminated plates within the context of first-order shear deformation theory.
COMPUTERS & STRUCTURES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Giuseppe Sciascia, Vincenzo Oliveri, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: The design space for high-performance lightweight composite structures has expanded with the concept of variable stiffness. A multi-domain Ritz method is proposed for the analysis of prestressed variable stiffness laminated doubly-curved shell structures. The method shows great accuracy in predicting the dynamic response and reduces the number of variables required for computation.
THIN-WALLED STRUCTURES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Olga Doeva, Pedram Khaneh Masjedi, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: New exact analytical solutions are presented for the static deflection of coupled Timoshenko composite beams resting on two-parameter elastic foundations subject to arbitrary boundary and loading conditions. The influence of foundation coefficients, coupling terms, and aspect ratio on the static deflection of the beams is investigated and discussed.
THIN-WALLED STRUCTURES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
M. M. S. Vilar, D. A. Hadjiloizi, P. Khaneh Masjedi, P. M. Weaver
Summary: Emerging manufacturing technologies allow for the production of slender and complex-shaped structures. However, current analytical methods for stress analysis often oversimplify the real behavior of laminated tapered beams. To address these limitations, this study proposes a simple and efficient stress recovery method that considers layerwise body forces and traction loads, as well as the effects of stiffness and load distributions. The model is validated through comparison with finite element analysis and analytical formulations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICS AND MATERIALS IN DESIGN
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Shahrzad Daghighi, Giovanni Zucco, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: Pressure vessels are widely used in various industries, including hydrogen storage and aircraft fuselages. Designing pressure vessels involves considering factors such as failure performance, weight, and packing efficiency. This study develops an initial design methodology for bend-free super ellipsoids of revolution to withstand both uniform internal pressure and thermal loads.
Article
Mechanics
Daniel Peeters, David Jones, Ronan O'Higgins, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: Interest in thermoplastic composites in aircraft has been increasing over the past 25 years. Combining winding and laser-assisted tape placement is a promising method to manufacture thermoplastic structures. In this study, a variable stiffness, unitized, integrated-stiffener thermoplastic wingbox was manufactured and tested. The corner regions were found to be critical and testing showed that decreasing the radius increases the corner strength, with an optimum radius existing to withstand maximum unfolding force/moment. The slowest deposition rate with least acceleration during manufacturing resulted in the highest corner strength for the same radius.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ciarn McHale, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: This study aims to develop a method to increase the bending stiffness of lattice structures while minimizing the increase in mass and stowed volume. This is achieved by using additional composite strips mounted adjacent and concentric to pre-existing strips. The new lattice configuration has a lighter weight and smaller stowed height compared to conventional configurations, but may have reduced stiffness. By increasing the deployed bending stiffness, this work enhances the feasibility of the morphing cylindrical lattice for deployable space structures.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
D. Campagna, A. Milazzo, I Benedetti, V Oliveri
Summary: This study presents a non-linear analysis method for considering damage initiation and evolution in variable angle tow composite plates under progressive loading. The model is based on first order shear deformation theory kinematics and non-linear strains in the von Karman sense. The constitutive relationships are formulated using continuum damage mechanics, allowing for in-plane damage initiation and evolution in each laminate layer. The Ritz polynomial expansion and minimization of the total potential energy provide the discrete solution equations, which are solved iteratively to capture damage evolution.
MECHANICS OF ADVANCED MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Reece L. Lincoln, Paul M. Weaver, Alberto Pirrera, Rainer M. J. Groh, Evangelos Zympeloudis
Summary: Variable-angle tow (VAT) manufacturing methods, such as rapid tow shearing (RTS), greatly enhance the design possibilities for composite structures by smoothly changing fiber angle and ply thickness. RTS offers numerous advantages over conventional bending-driven steering processes, including improved tessellation, elimination of overlaps or gaps between tows, and prevention of fiber wrinkling or bridging. This study aims to validate previous predictions on the imperfection sensitivity reduction and increased load-carrying capacity of cylindrical shells through the manufacturing and testing of RTS cylinders. The experimental results are compared with high-fidelity finite element models, taking into consideration the geometric and loading imperfections.
Article
Mechanics
Aileen G. Bowen, Giovanni Zucco, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: The design of composite flexible hinges using Brazier phenomena can avoid added weight and complexity. This study aims to verify similarities between Brazier phenomena for circular and aerofoil cross-sections through finite element analyses.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Venkatesh Sundararaman, Matthew P. O'Donnell, Isaac Chenchiah, Gearoid Clancy, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: Structures with adaptive stiffness characteristics can achieve greater efficiency by reconfiguring their topology. In this study, the potential of using changes in the topology of planar lattice structures is explored to achieve desired adaptivity. The lattice structures can undergo elastic buckling or bending of cell walls, leading to a change in the structure's topology and enhancement of compressive and shear stiffness. Experimental observations correlate well with finite element analysis and analytical stiffness predictions. This topology morphing lattice structure offers a new route to tailor elastic characteristics.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Hasan M. Khalid, Saheed O. Ojo, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: The analysis of free vibration behavior is crucial for the design of laminated plate structures. This study presents a novel numerical solution technique to study the dynamic behavior of shear deformable laminated plates. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in different boundary conditions and geometric configurations.
APPLIED MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
R. L. Lincoln, P. M. Weaver, A. Pirrera, R. M. J. Groh
Summary: This study explores the capabilities of the rapid tow shearing (RTS) process for reducing the imperfection sensitivity of axially compressed cylindrical shells. RTS enables the in situ manufacturing of embedded rings and stringers by depositing curvilinear carbon fibre tapes. By smoothly blending the material's elastic modulus and wall thickness across the cylindrical surface, the load paths can be redistributed favorably to minimize imperfection sensitivity. The use of a genetic algorithm that incorporates manufacturing imperfections and axial stiffness penalty helps maximize the reliability load of SF and RTS cylinders.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Kyungil Kong, Kirsten Dyer, Christopher Payne, Ian Hamerton, Paul M. Weaver
Summary: In recent decades, offshore wind energy has experienced significant growth due to the deployment of longer and larger wind turbine composite blades. However, these composite blades are susceptible to damage and defects, requiring thorough condition monitoring and maintenance to ensure structural integrity. Delamination, debonding, and cracks are common types of damage in wind turbine composite blades, influenced by various factors. Regular condition monitoring is necessary to assess performance degradation and reduce maintenance costs. Data-driven inspection with digital twin technology and advanced functional materials show promise in improving monitoring frameworks.
RENEWABLE ENERGY FOCUS
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Rawan Aqel, Patrick Severson, Rani Elhajjar
Summary: A novel core splice joint configuration for composite sandwich structures is studied and proposed to improve the strength and toughness. Experimental and numerical efforts show that this configuration can significantly increase the ultimate strength by 13% to 51% and the toughness by 2% to 35%.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Xianheng Wang, Cong Chen, Jinsong Zhang, Xinming Qiu
Summary: In this paper, a new form-finding method based on spatial elastica model (FMSE) is proposed for elastic gridshells. The method integrates the deformations of elastic rods into the overall deformation of the gridshell, and solves a set of transcendental equations using the quasi-Newton method to ensure the deformation satisfies the given boundary conditions. The method is validated through experiments and expected to have potential applications in the investigations of elastic gridshells.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Hao Huang, Zitong Guo, Zhongde Shan, Zheng Sun, Jianhua Liu, Dong Wang, Wang Wang, Jiale Liu, Chenchen Tan
Summary: The conventional evaluation of 3D braided composites' mechanical properties through numerical and experimental methodologies hinders material application due to the expenses, time constraints, and laborious efforts involved. This study establishes a multi-scale finite element model and a surrogate model for predicting the elastic properties of 3D4D rotary braided composites with voids. By optimizing a neural network model, the results are validated and provide valuable insights into the microstructure and properties of these composites.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Xinyu Li, Hao Zhang, Haiyang Yang, Junrong Luo, Zhongmin Xiao, Hongshuai Lei
Summary: Due to their excellent mechanical properties and design flexibility, fluted-core composite sandwich structures have gained significant attention in aerospace and rail transit applications. This study investigated the free-vibration characteristics and optimized design of composite fluted-core sandwich cylinders through theoretical models and experimental tests.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Chao Li, Chunzheng Duan, Xiaodong Tian, Chao Wang
Summary: A mechanistic model considering the bottom edge cutting effect and the anisotropic characteristics of the material is proposed in this paper to accurately predict cutting forces. The model was validated through a series of milling experiments and can be used to predict the cutting force of various parts of the cutter and any feed direction.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Camila Sanches Schimidt, Leopoldo Pisanelli Rodrigues de Oliveira, Carlos De Marqui Jr
Summary: This work investigates the vibro-acoustic performance of graded piezoelectric metamaterial plates. The study shows that piezoelectric metamaterial plates with reconfigurable properties can provide enhanced vibration and sound power attenuation.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Jun Ke, Li-jie Liu, Zhen-yu Wu, Zhong-ping Le, Luo Bao, Dong-wei Luo
Summary: Compared with other green natural fibers, ramie has higher mechanical properties and lower cost. In this study, ramie and glass fiber are made into composite circular tubes. The results show that the hybrid circular tube with ramie and glass fiber has improved torsional mechanical properties and reduced weight and cost. The failure mechanisms are affected by the loading direction and the content of each fiber.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Natalia Pingaro, Gabriele Milani
Summary: This paper proposes an enhanced analytical model for predicting the behavior of FRCM samples tested under standard tensile tests. The model takes into account the interaction between fibers and matrix through the interface, and assumes different material properties at different phases. By solving a second order linear differential equation, an analytical solution can be obtained. The model is validated with experimental data and shows good predictability.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Jialiang Fan, Anastasios P. Vassilopoulos, Veronique Michaud
Summary: This article investigates the effects of voids, joint geometry, and test conditions on the fracture performance of thick adhesive Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) joints. It concludes that grooved DCB joints with low void content tested at low displacement rates showed stable crack propagation without significant crack path deviation.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Auwalu I. Mohammed, Kaarthikeyan Raghupathy, Osvaldo De Victoria Garcia Baltazar, Lawson Onokpasah, Roger Carvalho, Anders Mogensen, Farzaneh Hassani, James Njuguna
Summary: This study investigates the performance of composite pressure vessels under damaged and undamaged conditions, providing insights into their reliability and residual strength capabilities. The results demonstrate that the damage profile and its effect on compressive strength are similar between damaged and non-damaged cylinders. When subjected to quasi-static compression, the polyethylene liner absorbs enough elastic strain energy to recover without plastic deformation. Additionally, quasi-static compression has little to no influence on the axial strength of the cylinders. The damage characterization reveals fiber breakage, delamination, local buckling, and brooming failure. This study has direct implications for the safety design tolerances, manufacturing strategies, and operational failure conditions of composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs).
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Muhammad Irfan Shirazi, Samir Khatir, Djilali Boutchicha, Magd Abdel Wahab
Summary: Structural health monitoring is important to ensure the safety of components and structures. This study proposes a method using finite element models and 1D-CNN network to extract and classify vibration responses for crack detection. The results show that the proposed approach is effective in real-time damage detection.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Maryam Mirsalehi, Kiarash Kianpour, Sharif Shahbeyk, Mohammad Bakhshi
Summary: This study comprehensively investigates the one-way response of 3D-woven sandwich panels (3DWSPs) and their interfering parameters, providing interpretation of elastic and failure results, failure maps, and reliable theoretical models for linear elastic response and observed failure mechanisms.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Yiming Zhao, Zhonggang Wang, Zhigang Yang, Bin Qin
Summary: The paper proposes a Ritz and statistical energy analysis (Ritz SEA) hybrid method for calculating rectangular plate acoustic vibration coupling in the mid-frequency range. This method combines the fast convergence and ability to handle arbitrary boundary conditions of the Ritz method with the power flow equation of the statistical energy analysis method. The results show that this approach effectively filters out random fluctuations in mid-frequency domains while demonstrating exceptional stability and precision.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Joao Henrique Fonseca, Woojung Jang, Dosuck Han, Naksoo Kim, Hyungyil Lee
Summary: This study addresses the enhancement of an injection-molded fiber-reinforced plastic / metal hybrid automotive structure and its plastic injection molding process through the integration of the finite element method, artificial intelligence, and evolutionary search methods. Experimental validation of finite element models, the generation of a database through orthogonal array and Latin hypercube methods, and the training of artificial neural networks are conducted. The genetic optimization algorithm is then applied to identify optimal process parameters. The results show significant reduction in product warpage and manufacturing time while maintaining structural strength, contributing to the advancement of composite automotive structures with superior quality.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)
Article
Mechanics
Alessandro Vescovini, Carina Xiaochen Li, Javier Paz Mendez, Bo Cheng Jin, Andrea Manes, Chiara Bisagni
Summary: This paper presents a study on six single-stringer specimens manufactured using the card-sliding technique with non-crimp fabrics and adopting a Double-Double (DD) stacking sequence. The specimens were tested under compression loading conditions to investigate post-buckling and failure in aerospace structures. Experimental results and numerical simulations were compared to analyze the behavior and failure modes of the specimens. The study found promising evidence of a viable solution to optimize aeronautical structures and enhance resistance to skin-stringer separation, particularly with the use of tapered flanges.
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
(2024)