Development of a robust virtual design environment for structural composites

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High performance carbon-fibre composites have increasingly become the material of choice for large commercial aircraft structures. Certification for airworthiness of these structures currently relies on numerous tests ranging from thousands of small scale coupon tests to a single full scale test. In between, numerous tests are conducted on elements, details and sub-structures to determine static strength and fatigue lives under complex loadings. The availability of a virtual design environment (VDE), i.e. the ability to complete designs almost entirely on the computer and thus reducing the reliance on time consuming and costly tests, plays a critical role in the reduction of design cycle times and costs associated with designing and certifying composite structures. Beyond cost reductions, a robust VDE offers the possibility of expanding the design space for composite materials by considering the viability of new materials (fibres and resins), fibre architectures, lay-ups and structural configurations that are otherwise far too complex to certify through empirical approaches. Building on the previous experience of the applicant and his research team, the aim of the proposed research is to create a VDE by integrating the process and structural models into a single, efficient, physics-based computational tool within an open source software environment to assess the integrity and endurance of as-manufactured, large scale composite structures. The aim is to take into account the full history of the composite structure as it goes through the various steps, from manufacturing all the way to its working environment as a load-bearing structure. The advancements made will form the basis of a new design methodology where the effects of all parameters that control both the process and damage behaviour of structural composites can be included in the design. This capability will significantly reduce the number of real tests and costs associated with the use of empirical safety factors that are currently adopted in the design of composite structures.