Composite part design based on numerical simulation of the manufacturing process

摘要

In aeronautics, the decreased density of structural components is a major factor to consider in order to satisfy economic, environmental, and technical requirements. Using composite materials is justifying good weight to mechanical strength compromise. Mechanical strength depends on shapes, dimensions, and materials defined at the design stage and in manufacturing and assembling process of the part. In this article, a general method is proposed to evaluate the performance of the design choices based on the failure risk of an assembled part. This evaluation integrates manufacturing deviations from the shaping operation (resin transfer molding). Three criteria are derived from numerical simulations of RTM process and assembly phase. These criteria assist the designer early in the design cycle to appreciate the consequences of manufacturing choices on the mechanical strength of an assembled part. The approach will be applied to an airplane component.