Composite Material Selection With Concurrent Microstructure and Sizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for designing composite structures fail to exploit the tailorable nature of composite materials, leading to suboptimal performance due to separate material selection and sizing processes that do not account for the interdependence of these factors, resulting in inferior mechanical systems.
Innovation Solution
A multiscale material selection method using Decision-Making Algorithms (DMA) and structure-property relationships to concurrently determine unique material properties and sizing parameters, identifying optimal microstructures that satisfy multiple conflicting objectives and constraints, thereby enhancing the design efficiency of composite structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If discrete materials from manufacturer databases are used for material selection, then the material selection process is simplified, but the tailorable nature of composite materials cannot be exploited, resulting in suboptimal performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the material selection process from choosing discrete pre-defined materials to selecting continuous material properties and microstructure parameters. By parameterizing material characteristics (fiber volume fraction, ply orientation, material composition ratios), the system enables continuous optimization of composite structures while maintaining computational tractability through structured property databases and generation models.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent explicitly addresses composite material design by incorporating microstructure generation capabilities that create tailored composite configurations. The system models composite materials at multiple scales (fiber, ply, laminate levels) and enables optimization of their hierarchical structure to achieve superior mechanical properties that cannot be obtained with discrete conventional materials.
2Device complexity
If material selection and sizing are performed separately, then the design process is more manageable, but the interdependence between material selection and sizing is not accounted for, leading to non-optimal solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges material selection and sizing operations into a unified optimization framework. The system simultaneously determines optimal material properties, microstructure parameters, and structural dimensions by formulating a combined objective function that considers both material selection criteria and sizing requirements, thereby capturing the interdependence between these design decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional design system that performs material selection, microstructure generation, and structural sizing within a single integrated platform. The system handles multiple design objectives (strength, stiffness, weight) and constraints simultaneously, providing a universal solution that replaces multiple separate design processes with one comprehensive optimization approach.
3Productivity
If material selection is performed first and qualified later, then the design workflow is sequential and simpler, but suitable material combinations may be excluded, resulting in lower standard mechanical structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary microstructure generation and property prediction during the material selection phase itself, rather than qualifying materials later. By using generation models to create candidate microstructures and predict their properties upfront, the system ensures that only viable material combinations are considered in subsequent design steps, preventing exclusion of suitable options while maintaining workflow efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback loops where microstructure generation models continuously refine material property predictions based on optimization results. The system uses performance feedback from structural analysis to guide microstructure generation, iteratively improving material combinations until optimal solutions are achieved, thereby ensuring high structural quality without sacrificing design efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
Conventionally material selection of composite structure is performed by using discrete materials available in manufacturer's databases. Thus, tailorable nature of composite materials is not exploited to achieve superior performance. Further, conventional methods perform material selection and sizing separately and do not take into account the influence of sizing on material selection and vice versa. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for multiscale material selection for designing of mechanical systems that incorporates tailoring of material microstructures and sizing to achieve solutions. The microstructure properties are obtained by using analytical and computational models for various composite materials. These models compute structure-property relations between bulk material properties and their micro-structural constituents.