Laid Fiber Composite Ply Analysis via Local Material Averaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for non-destructive examination of fiber-reinforced components, such as computed tomography, are not suitable for analyzing woven and laid fabric plies due to their complex ply structure and varying material properties, leading to erroneous results.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize non-destructive measurement to collect volumetric data, select local analysis regions, determine local material properties, and average them layer-by-layer to automatically identify and separate individual plies, accounting for curvature and ply boundaries, using techniques like mean value formation and histogram distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional non-destructive examination methods are used on fiber-reinforced components, then volumetric data can be collected, but the analysis yields erroneous results when applied to woven and laid fabric plies due to their complex ply structure and varying material properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by determining local material properties at specific spatial points within the component and averaging them layer-by-layer within detected plies. This allows the analysis to adapt to varying material properties in different regions of woven and laid fabrics, rather than applying a uniform averaging approach that fails for complex fabric structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the component into individual plies by detecting ply boundaries based on changes in local material properties. This segmentation enables separate analysis of each ply, capturing the unique characteristics of woven and laid fabric structures while maintaining accuracy in material property assessment.
2Reliability
If large averaging regions are used to suppress image noise, then measurement stability improves, but the ability to resolve individual thin plies with different orientations is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic approach by adaptively determining the size and shape of averaging regions based on the local ply structure and curvature. The averaging regions are adjusted to match the local geometry, allowing sufficient averaging for noise suppression while maintaining resolution of individual thin plies with different orientations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selecting averaging regions that are adapted to local conditions - their size and orientation are determined based on the local ply structure and curvature. This allows the averaging process to be stable where plies are thick and uniform, while maintaining resolution where plies are thin or highly curved.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard averaging methods are applied to fabric plies, then computation is simplified, but erroneous results occur because material properties change significantly from ply to ply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the component into individual plies before averaging material properties. By detecting ply boundaries and performing separate averaging within each detected ply, the method maintains simplicity of computation while avoiding erroneous results that would occur from averaging across multiple plies with different material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection of ply boundaries and identification of individual plies before conducting the material property averaging. This preliminary action ensures that subsequent averaging is performed within correct ply boundaries, maintaining both computational simplicity and measurement accuracy.
4Ease of operation
If the positions of thin plies are assumed to be known in advance, then analysis is simplified, but the positions are not known well enough for woven and laid fabrics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the system self-service by automatically detecting ply positions and boundaries from the collected volumetric data itself, rather than requiring external input or prior knowledge of ply positions. The method uses changes in local material properties to identify ply boundaries, enabling the analysis to proceed without pre-known ply position information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection of ply positions and boundaries from the volumetric data before conducting material property averaging. This preliminary action automatically establishes the ply structure, eliminating the need for advance knowledge of ply positions while maintaining simplicity in the subsequent analysis steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate separation and analysis of individual plies, providing detailed information on fiber orientation and material properties, improving the precision of material property assessment in complex geometries.
Implementation Method 1
it is known to examine the internal structures of components, e.g. fiber-reinforced lightweight components in the area of injection molding, using data collected by computed tomography (CT data)
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for examining components comprising laid fiber composite fabrics or woven fiber composite fabrics which comprise a number of thin plies with in part different alignment, comprises a measuring device for carrying out a non-destructive measurement to collect volumetric data of the component and comprising an evaluation device for evaluating the collected data of the component, wherein the evaluation by the evaluation device comprises selecting a first analysis region in the collected data of the component, determining a local coordinate system of the first analysis region, successively establishing local material properties layer-by-layer at predetermined distances in a direction perpendicular to the lateral extent of the first analysis region, detecting ply boundaries along the established material properties, and averaging the local material properties in each detected ply.