Multi-Scale Modelling of Failure of Continuous Carbon Fibre Composites for Virtual Allowables

摘要

The use of composite materials in an aerospace design creates problems due to the inherent variability in the materials and processing to make a component. For a metal material allowable strengths are normally readily available through sources such as Mil Handbook 5. To get these properties for a composite material is more complex and the aerospace user typically needs to do an expensive test program. Through the use of Digimat VA (virtual allowables) this paper suggests ways in which test costs can be reduced. Side effects of using VA are a better understanding of how manufacturing tolerances could be relaxed in some situations.