FEA-SMC: Enabling short fibre composites in high-performance aerospace applications through robust simulation technology

Creative Composites、Energyity Ltd、WMG和Simutence将与Spirit Aerosystems合作开发一种新的软件解决方案，以预测SMC复合材料的结构性能，并使其能够用于航空航天应用。SMC是一种不连续的纤维，通常用于高性能汽车应用的模塑复合材料。其碳纤维增强变体（称为C-SMC）可以比铝具有更高的比强度和刚度，比连续CFRP具有更低的材料成本和周期时间。该联盟将开发一种软件工具，可以准确预测这些材料的可变行为，并考虑到成型过程中的流动影响。填补预测分析的空白，并为航空航天业开放更多低成本、轻量化技术的应用。该项目将包括飞机结构部件的设计优化和制造，以验证这种新的软件工具，并展示它如何使C-SMC与传统的航空航天材料竞争。

Creative Composites, Engenuity Ltd, WMG and Simutence will be working together with Spirit Aerosystems to develop a new software solution to predict the structural performance of SMC composite materials and enable their use in aerospace applications. SMC is a discontinuous fibre, moulded composite commonly used for performance automotive applications. Its carbon fibre reinforced variants (known as C-SMC) can have higher specific strength and stiffness than aluminium, with lower material cost and cycle time than continuous CFRP.The consortium will develop a software tool that can accurately predict the variable behaviour of these materials taking into account the effect of flow during moulding. Bridging a gap in predictive analysis and opening up the aerospace industry to more applications of this low-cost, light weighting technology. The project will include the design optimisation and manufacture of a structural aircraft component to validate this new software tool, and demonstrate how it can enable C-SMC to compete with conventional aerospace materials.