Continuous analysis of variations during the design of endless-fiber reinforced composite structures assemblies

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Sandro Wartzack
• Subject Area: Engineering Design, Machine Elements, Product Development
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 389616685

The consideration of variations and their functional restriction during the design of a product is an important task of tolerance management. Fibre reinforced plastic materials (FRP), which are increasingly used in weight-sensitive applications due to their high lightweight potential, increase the complexity of this task due to their high number of design parameters. Geometric variations and residual stresses of individual components, which result from variations in the laminate design parameters, also transfer into the assembly and thus the final product. Additional residual stresses can occur in the assembly due to the assembly process, which have an impact on the supportable loads of the assembly. In the worst case, this can lead to premature failure of the deviated assembly. Previous approaches consider residual stresses during assembly, but do not take into account the variations of the laminate design parameters. Most of these approaches originate from manufacturing engineering and therefore do not take into account the subsequent product use. To overcome this, and be able to consider the effects of the manufacturing on the structural performance during the design phase, a new method including a continuous virtual process chain has to be developed. The aim of the proposed research project is to provide a method for the continuous consideration of variations of laminate design parameters and their effects from the design phase up to the use phase of the composite assembly. This should enable product developers to identify potential problems during the design of the FRP structure and to take appropriate targeted countermeasures.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants