Composite Plybook Design for Variable Cured Ply Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for designing plybooks for composite components often result in manufactured parts that are larger or smaller than intended, necessitating costly and unreliable manual machining to correct thickness-related non-conformances, such as adding sacrificial plies for excess material removal.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that simulates composite material plies with variable cured ply thickness estimates based on local conditions, allowing for precise definition of a plybook that accurately fills the component volume, including error compensation to correct thickness errors, thereby eliminating the need for post-curing machining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional plybook design methods are used with constant thickness assumptions, then the design process is simple and quick, but the manufactured components exhibit thickness variations and dimensional inaccuracies requiring costly machining
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary simulation of the curing process and thickness variation analysis before finalizing the plybook design. By predicting thickness variations in advance based on local conditions (curvature, ply orientation, stacking sequence), the design can be optimized beforehand to compensate for expected variations, eliminating the need for post-manufacturing machining while avoiding complex real-time adjustments during manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the plybook design from using constant thickness parameters to using variable thickness parameters that change based on local conditions. The simulation model calculates different thickness values for different regions of the component based on curvature, ply orientation, and stacking sequence, allowing the design to adapt to local conditions and achieve uniform final dimensions despite manufacturing variations
2Manufacturing precision
If manual machining is performed to correct thickness non-conformances, then component dimensions can be adjusted, but production cost increases and reliability decreases due to manual process variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the plybook design process to self-correct for thickness variations through automated simulation and compensation. The system automatically identifies regions prone to thickness variations, calculates compensation values, and adjusts the plybook design accordingly, eliminating the need for manual intervention and machining operations while maintaining high precision and productivity
3Manufacturing precision
If sacrificial plies are added to compensate for thickness variations, then excess material can be machined away, but the component requires additional material and processing steps increasing cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis of thickness variations and implements compensation directly in the plybook design before manufacturing. By predicting and compensating for thickness variations in advance, the system eliminates the need to add sacrificial plies and subsequently machine them away, thereby preventing material waste while achieving uniform thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the design parameters to account for expected thickness variations rather than adding excess material. By using variable thickness calculations based on local conditions, the design optimizes material usage by placing exactly the required amount of material in each region, eliminating the need for sacrificial plies and reducing material waste
Data Source
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AI summary
There is disclosed a method of designing a plybook (204, 708) for a composite component (402), comprising: defining a component volume (12) corresponding to the composite component (402) to be manufactured; defining a plurality of successive plies (20) of composite material to fill the component volume (12); simulating at least some of the plurality of successive plies (20) of composite material based on an estimate of variable cured ply thickness, wherein the variable cured ply thickness is estimated by: simulating at least a portion of a respective ply (20) of composite material; and estimating a cured ply thickness for the portion of composite material at least partly based on local conditions of the portion. A plybook (204, 708) is defined based on the plurality of simulated plies (20).