F. Scaramuzzino

Influence of Contact Phenomena on Embedded Delaminations Growth in Composites

In this paper, numerical geometrically non-linear analyses have been performed to investigate the influence of contact phenomena on multiple embedded delaminations growth in composite panels under compressive load. An in-house FEM code based on the Modified Virtual Crack Closure Technique to analyse delaminations growth and with the Penalty Method Approach to take into account contact phenomena has been used for computations. Compressed composite panels with two embedded delaminations has been investigated for various geometrical configurations with different delaminations’ sizes and positions. Comparisons with a single embedded delamination model adopted in previous works have been presented. Finally a comparison between contact and no-contact approaches has been shown for a significant geometrical configuration.

A Study on Skin Delaminations Growth in Stiffened Composite Panels by a Novel Numerical Approach

In this paper, a study on skin delamination growth in stiffened composite panels made of carbon fibres reinforced polymers and subjected to compressive load is presented. A robust (mesh and time step independent) numerical finite elements procedure, based on the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) and on the fail release approach, is used here to investigate the influence of skin delamination size and position on the damage tolerance of stiffened composite panels. Four stiffened panels configurations with skin delaminations differently sized and positioned are introduced. Bay delaminations and delaminations under the stringer foot are considered. The novel numerical procedure has been used to simulate the delamination growth for all the investigated panel configurations and to evaluate the influence of the delaminations’ geometrical parameters on the growth development. As a confirmation of the applicability and effectiveness of the adopted numerical tool, the numerical results, obtained for all the analysed configurations, in terms of grown delaminated area, displacements and strains measured in various panel locations, have been compared with experimental data available in literature.

A bit-masking oriented data structure for evolutionary operators implementation in genetic algorithms

Abstract In the present paper a special bit-masking oriented data structure for an improved implementation of crossover and mutation operators in genetic algorithms is shown. The developed data structure performs evolutionary operators in two separate steps: crossover and mutation mask fill and a special boolean based function application. Both phases are optimized to reach a more efficient, fast and flexible genetic reproduction than standard implementations. The method has been powered adding a multi-layered, bit-masking oriented data structure and a boolean operation based control mixer, allowing special blended crossover operators obtained by superposition of the standard ones. Several examples of crossover schemes produced by these extended controls are presented. In addition, a special purpose crossover scheme, capable to process at the same time two distinct groups of design variables with separate crossover schemes is shown, in order to improve efficiency and convergence speed of some discrete/continuous optimization problems. Finally, to highlight further capabilities of the bit-masking approach, a special single-step version of an evolutionary direction operator is also illustrated.

Optimal design of an aircraft engine mount via bit-masking oriented genetic algorithms

In this paper a geometric-topologic structural optimisation procedure for a transport aircraft engine mount is shown. In order to achieve the minimum structural weight under some functional and operative constraints, both static and dynamic aspects have been treated. A parametric FEM model with extended self-consistent controls on topology has been developed. The genetic algorithm used for the optimisation procedure was based on a specific bit-masking oriented data structure able to handle properly both continuous and discrete design variables requested by the hybrid geometric-topological model of the structure.

Positioning of Embedded Optical Fibres Sensors for the Monitoring of Buckling in Stiffened Composite Panels

A numerical/experimental study on the monitoring of the skin buckling phenomenon in stiffened composite panels by embedding optical fibres is presented in this paper. A numerical procedure has been introduced able to provide the most efficient embedded optical fibre path (with minimum length) fulfilling the grating sensors locations and directions requirements whilst satisfying specific embedding/integrity constraints for the optical fibre. The developed numerical procedure has been applied to a stiffened composite panel under compression load. The best location and direction of the grating sensors and the optimal optical fibre path for the monitoring of the skin buckling phenomenon have been found by performing respectively non-linear FEM analyses and optimization analyses. The procedure has been validated by means of an experimental testing activity on a stiffened panel instrumented with embedded optical fibres and back-to-back strain gauges which have been positioned according to the numerically estimated grating sensors locations and directions.

A Practical Tool for the Preliminary Design of Bonded Composite Repairs

Composite structures are increasingly finding more applications in the aeronautical field as well as the automotive one, thanks to their low weight – performance ratios, in terms of strength and stiffness. However, composite materials, as well known, are characterized by a critical behavior in terms of detectability of damage and performances of damaged components. A critical aspect related to damaged composite structures is, for sure, the repair aimed to restore the original stiffness and strength characteristics of the component depending on the damage typology and location. In this paper, a preliminary repair design tool is presented. The tool is aimed to help the designer by suggesting different repair typologies and proper repair size. This tool, by means of optimization analyses can provide the best repair solution with minimal adhesive shear stress and size of the repair patch. The tool has been tested against a literature case study on multistep composite-metal joints.

Skin Stringer Debonding Evolution in Stiffened Composite Panels under Compressive Load: A Novel Numerical Approach

In this paper, a numerical study, on the compressive behaviour of stiffened composite panels with skin-stringer debonding has been carried out. The analysis has been performed by adopting a novel robust (mesh and time step independent) finite elements based numerical model on a single stiffener panel with an artificial debonding. In order to prove the effectiveness of the proposed numerical tool, the results in terms of debonded area growth and compressive load versus applied displacement, have been compared with experimental data available in literature.

Application to plate components of a kinematic global‐local approach for non‐matching finite element meshes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and to assess the capabilities of the most common finite element (FE)‐based tools to deal with global‐local analysis. Two kinds of coupling were investigated: shell to shell and shell to solid.Design/methodology/approach – The issue of connecting non‐matching FE global and local models, characterized by different mesh refinements and/or different element types, was addressed by introducing appropriate kinematic constraints on the nodes at the interfaces. The coupling techniques available in the three FE‐based codes (ABAQUS®, NASTRAN® and ANSYS®), were assessed by applying them on a common numerical test case (non‐linear buckling analysis of a square plate). Results of the global‐local simulations were compared to the results obtained for relevant reference solutions.Findings – The continuity of displacements and stresses across the interface between global and local models and the influence of the presence of the local model on the global model solutio...

Numerical Simulations of Inter-laminar Damage Evolution in a Composite Wing Box

In this paper, a numerical study has been carried out on skin delamination and skin-stringer debonding growth in a composite wing-box under compressive loading conditions. The adopted numerical models use the Virtual Crack Closure Technique to simulate the inter-laminar damage evolution and the numerical analyses have been performed by means of the FEM code ABAQUS and B2000++. The obtained numerical results have been assessed and compared each other in terms of delaminated area evolution, delamination growth initiation load and strain distributions. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the adopted numerical platforms in predicting the evolution of inter-laminar damages, comparisons with experimental data, in terms of load displacement curves and strains in the debonding area, have been also introduced.

Application of the Mesh Superposition Technique to the Study of Delaminations in Composites Thin Plates

Laminated composite structures are increasingly finding more applications in various fields thanks to their lower weight if compared with other materials of the same strength. Nevertheless, composites thin plates show a critical behavior in terms of damage propagation mechanisms when subjected to (low velocity) impact. Indeed they tend to produce delaminations which can be hardly detected by optical inspections and can affect the global load carrying capability, leading to a premature structural collapse. The aim of this paper is to assess the capabilities of the Davies-Zhang approach (introduced in 1994 and aimed to the estimation of both the delamination initiation impact load and the size of the impact induced delaminations) by using a multiscale FE model based on the mesh superposition technique. Indeed the impact area has been modeled layer-wise with an element per layer while the rest of the structure has been modeled at laminate level by layered elements by means of a homogenization approach for the determination of the equivalent laminate material properties. The impact induced delamination area has been determined by adopting stress-based criteria. The results (in terms of delamination initiation impact force and delamination size) have been compared to the ones obtained by adopting the Davies-Zhang approach.