Composite Test Specimen Buckling Resistance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current test methods for determining material properties of fiber-reinforced plastic composites, particularly in rotor blades, face challenges with buckling failures and measurement errors due to directional sensitivity and the need for external anti-buckling supports, which can falsify results and limit the application of high loads.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating an inner core within the composite that expands transversely to the mechanical load, enhancing buckling resistance without altering the fiber quantity or volume fraction, and using a foamed plastic inner core to increase stability while minimizing influence on measured material properties within acceptable error ranges.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If external anti-buckling supports are used to prevent buckling failures, then buckling resistance is improved, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to result falsification

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebuckling resistanceVSAvoidmeasurement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes external anti-buckling supports from the test setup and instead integrates buckling prevention functionality within the test specimen itself through an optimized geometric design (specifically a rectangular cross-section with specific dimension ratios), thereby eliminating the source of measurement falsification while maintaining buckling resistance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The test specimen is designed to be self-stabilizing against buckling through its intrinsic geometric properties (rectangular cross-section with width-to-height ratio between 0.5 and 2.0), eliminating the need for external stabilization devices that would interfere with measurement accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If high loads are applied to determine material properties, then measurement reliability is improved, but buckling failures increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemeasurement reliabilityVSAvoidbuckling resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the geometric parameters of the test specimen, specifically using a rectangular cross-section with controlled width-to-height ratios (0.5 to 2.0) and specific length-to-width ratios, which optimizes the buckling resistance and enables reliable measurement under high loads without buckling failures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of manufacture

If standardized test specimens are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to axial misalignment and Eulerian kinks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespecimen fabricationVSAvoidalignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies different geometric characteristics to different parts of the test specimen: the central test section has a rectangular cross-section with optimized dimensions for buckling resistance, while the end regions have reduced dimensions specifically for gripping, creating local functional optimization that addresses both manufacturing ease and measurement precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses an asymmetric geometric design where the width and height of the rectangular cross-section are deliberately different (with controlled ratios), and the end regions are reduced in size, creating an asymmetric shape that provides both manufacturing simplicity and resistance to misalignment-induced failures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentEP2821771B1Testing method
Publication Date: 2019.04.03 WOBBEN PROPERTIES GMBH
  • EP2821771B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3

AI summary

The invention relates to a test specimen (1000) for determining a specific material property of a fiber-reinforced plastic composite (200) under applied mechanical load. According to the invention, an inner core (100) is incorporated into a composite with the fiber-reinforced plastic (200), wherein the inner core is extended in a transverse axis to the mechanical load such that the composite with the inner core exhibits higher buckling stability than a comparison specimen such as the composite without an inner core, and that the inner core (100) is designed such that its influence on the specific material property of the fiber-reinforced plastic composite to be determined remains within an acceptable range.