Design and Manufacture of Conical Shell Structures Using Prepreg Laminates

Journal article (2016)

Authors

Regina Khakimova Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Florian Burau Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Richard Degenhardt Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Private University of Applied Sciences
Mark Siebert Private University of Applied Sciences
Research Group
Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanics (Aerospace Engineering) (TU Delft)
Buckling Finite element modelling Prepreg Lay-up
More Info
expand_more

Published Date

01-06-2016

Language

English

Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Structures & Materials

Research Group

Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanics

Abstract

The design and manufacture of unstiffened composite conical structures is very challenging, as the variation of the fiber orientations, lay-up and the geometry of the ply pieces have a significant influence on the thickness imperfections and ply angle deviations imprinted to the final part. This paper deals with the manufacture of laminated composite cones through the prepeg/autoclave process. The cones are designed to undergo repetitive buckling tests without accumulating permanent damage. The aim is to define a process that allows the control of fiber angle deviations and the removal of thickness imperfections generated from gaps and overlaps between ply pieces. Ultrasonic scan measurements are used to proof the effectiveness of the proposed method.