Design for Manufacturing with Advanced Composite Materials

该项目的目标是开发先进复合材料的制造指南。在制定这些指南时将使用的主要方法是成本模型、加工知识、虚拟制造模拟、结构分析以及与工业界的密切合作。这些工具将被整合并应用于案例研究，以评估当前的制造策略设计。设计分析的“引擎”，能够区分设计细节，将是一个具有零件尺寸和零件复杂性缩放的成本模型。众所周知，更大、更复杂的零件成本更高。以前的工作已经提出了大小和复杂性的缩放定律。在这项工作中，通过将纤维结构视为信息存储介质来计算形状复杂性。这种方法导致了信息内容的严格定义，显示了与制造时间的密切相关。在本项目中，将借助光纤映射软件进一步发展这一思路。这将允许该任务的自动化，并有机会在需要时评估可选的复杂性度量。所提议的成本模型的一个重要特点是具有逻辑性和透明性的数据结构，便于对工艺技术的新发展进行修改。这项工作将建立在先前开发的模型和数据库（270个成本方程）之上。具体要开发的新功能包括形状复杂性建模和工厂设计与仿真。工业投入将由诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司和其他复合材料制造公司提供。该项目的预期结果是开发一种先进复合材料制造方法的设计。特别感兴趣的是对几个大型复合结构的零件集成策略的建议和评估的发展。这项工作旨在将注意力集中在降低复合材料成本战略的关键要素上。此外，这里提出的工作将导致在零件复杂性评估，成本建模，工厂表示和成本模型结构领域的几个新的软件工具。

The goal of this project is to develop design for manufacturing guidelines for advanced composite materials. The principal methods to be used in the development of these guidelines will be cost models, processing knowledge, virtual manufacturing simulations, structural analysis, and close cooperation with industry. These tools will be integrated and applied to case studies for evaluation of current design for manufacturing strategies. The `engine` for the design analysis, capable of differentiating between design details, will be a cost model with part size and part complexity scaling. It is well known that larger and more complex parts are more costly. Previous work has suggested size and complexity scaling laws. In that work, shape complexity was calculated by viewing the fiber structure as an information storage medium. This approach led to a rigorous definition for information content that showed a close correlation with manufacturing time. In this project, this idea will be further developed with the aid of fiber mapping software. This will allow automation of this task and the opportunity to evaluate alternative complexity measures if needed. An important feature of the proposed cost model will be a logical and transparent data structure which allows easy modifications for new developments in process technology. This work will build upon a previously developed model and database (270 cost equations). Specific new features to be developed include the shape complexity modeling and the factory design and simulation. Industrial input will be provided by Northrop Grumman and other composites manufacturing companies. The desired outcome of this project is the development of a design for manufacturing methodology for advanced composites materials. Of specific interest is the development of recommendations and an evaluation of the integration of parts strategy for several large composite structures. This work is intended to focus attention of critical elements of cost reduction strategies for composites. In addition, the work proposed here should lead to several new software tools in the area of part complexity evaluation, cost modeling, factory representation, and cost model structure.