Asymmetric Unbalanced Composite Laminates for Reduced Material Usage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional composite laminated structures are constrained by symmetry and balance requirements, leading to inefficiencies such as excessive material usage, complexity in tapering, and micro-cracking, which limits their suitability for applications requiring minimal stress differential between first and last ply failure.
Innovation Solution
The development of asymmetric and unbalanced laminated structures using sub-laminate modules with acute angles less than 90°, allowing for non-crimped configurations and reduced ply orientations, which facilitates easier manufacturing and improved homogenization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If symmetric and balanced laminate structures are used, then structural stability and resistance to warping are improved, but material usage increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by using unbalanced laminate structures with non-equal ply orientations and thicknesses. Specifically, the laminate includes plies with different orientations (e.g., 0°, 45°, 90°) where the number and/or thickness of plies at each orientation is intentionally unbalanced, eliminating the need for symmetric mirror-image plies while maintaining structural stability through optimized stacking sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts unnecessary plies from conventional symmetric designs. By removing redundant mirror-image plies and unbalanced counter plies that do not contribute to structural performance, the design achieves stability with fewer material layers, directly reducing material usage while maintaining warping resistance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If symmetric and balanced laminate structures are used, then structural stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric unbalanced laminate design simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need to precisely stack mirror-image plies. The stacking sequence is optimized for performance without requiring symmetric balance, reducing the complexity of ply ordering and assembly while maintaining structural stability through engineered ply distributions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the laminate into distinct ply groups with specific orientations and thicknesses. This segmentation allows for modular manufacturing approaches where plies can be stacked in optimized sequences without requiring complex symmetric arrangements, reducing manufacturing time and complexity while maintaining stability.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional laminate structures are used, then material availability is improved, but micro-cracking occurs and stress differential increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the laminate by using unbalanced ply configurations with specific orientation angles and thickness ratios. This parameter optimization redistributes stress more evenly across plies during loading, reducing stress concentration and differential between first and last ply failure, thereby minimizing micro-cracking while maintaining material availability.
4Strength
If symmetric laminate structures are used, then structural integrity is improved, but tapering complexity and material waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric laminate design facilitates tapering by allowing progressive removal of plies from one side without requiring symmetric removal from the other side. This enables gradual thickness reduction while maintaining structural integrity through optimized ply distributions, significantly reducing material waste compared to symmetric designs where both sides must be tapered equally.
Data Source
AI summary
Variously configured sub-laminate modules are provided, which comprise at least a first ply and a second ply, the first ply comprising fibers extending in a first orientation, the second ply comprising fibers extending in a second orientation. The second orientation is offset relative to the first orientation, which offset defines an acute angle between the two orientations. The acute angle is less than 90 degrees and in at least one embodiment, the acute angle is approximately 25°. In certain embodiments, the acute angle further defines an unbalanced structure of the sub-laminate module. In certain embodiments, the first and second plies may be further secured relative to one another in a non-crimped configuration. Composite laminated structures formed from various embodiments of the sub-laminate modules are also provided, at least some of which may be homogenized. Various methods of manufacturing the sub-laminate modules and the composite laminated structures are also provided.