Composite Ply Stack Analysis for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for designing and manufacturing composite structures do not adequately account for the cumulative effects of imperfections and deviations in ply layers, leading to overdesign, increased weight, and reduced payload capacity in aircraft, which complicates dimensional tolerance and interfacing with other structures.
Innovation Solution
A method using computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to generate and analyze numerically coded tool path definitions for tape or tow courses, evaluating actual ply definitions, and visualizing potential impacts to optimize composite structure design and manufacturing, allowing for concurrent production enhancements and optimization of designs used in various structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If known composite design specifications and methods are used to allow imperfections at the ply level, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but cumulative detrimental effects at the laminate level cannot be evaluated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from analyzing plies in isolation (2D individual ply level) to analyzing the cumulative stack-up effect (3D laminate level). The software program evaluates the stacked arrangement of multiple plies, considering the vertical dimension and interactions between adjacent plies, thereby capturing cumulative detrimental effects that cannot be detected at the individual ply level alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the software program provides evaluation results about cumulative imperfection effects back to the design and manufacturing process. This feedback enables engineers to adjust ply arrangements, gap specifications, or overlap tolerances to avoid detrimental cumulative effects while maintaining manufacturing flexibility.
2Reliability
If composite structures are overdesigned to compensate for potential flaws, then structural reliability is improved, but weight increases and payload capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by evaluating and identifying potential cumulative detrimental effects during the design phase using the software program. By detecting problematic ply arrangements, gap concentrations, or overlap patterns before manufacturing, engineers can optimize the design to achieve necessary reliability without adding excessive material or overdesigning the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables parameter changes by allowing engineers to modify design parameters such as gap tolerances, overlap specifications, or ply stacking sequences based on the software evaluation results. This optimization process adjusts parameters to achieve the minimum necessary material for reliable structures, avoiding weight penalties from overdesign.
3Strength
If gap and overlap distances are reduced to analyze plies as continuous pieces, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by evaluating the actual cumulative effect of gaps and overlaps through software analysis rather than requiring all gaps and overlaps to be minimized uniformly. The software identifies which specific gap or overlap concentrations are detrimental, allowing manufacturers to apply precision only where necessary while maintaining larger tolerances elsewhere, thus balancing structural integrity with manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for generating a data product that allows for enhanced design, analysis and manufacture of a composite structure comprising a plurality of plies. The method comprises the steps of obtaining geometric ply definitions, inputting the geometric ply definitions into a computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software program to generate a numerically coded tool path definition containing centerline data for each tape or tow comprising a ply, programming tape or tow course shape definitions of a plurality of plies in CAM to produce actual ply definitions, using CAM to generate an accumulated dataset of actual ply definitions, using a customized software program to analyze the dataset to obtain a data product containing results relating to manufacturing implementation of the actual ply definitions, and using the customized software program to evaluate and visualize potential impact of the data product and to interrogate the data product.