DYNACOMP · Dynamic behaviour of composite materials for next generation aeroengines

Dynamic behaviour of composite materials for next generation aeroengines

Composite materials are widely used nowadays in aeronautical structures because their good specific properties contribute to substantial weight savings and reduced fuel consumption. However, they are rarely used in components subjected to dynamic loads because our understanding of their structural behavior at high strain rates is still limited. DYNACOMP’s main scientific objective was to advance in this field, with the final technological objective of providing the means of developing novel and lighter materials with superior dynamic behavior for applications such as turbo-engines. This will require the use of a new generation of carbon fabrics and more specifically, new polymer resins. However, the current approach to introduce new composite materials in the aeronautical sector uses an extensive and costly experimental campaign based on a trial and error approach. A new design paradigm was thus needed, to reduce cost and lead time in design. DYNACOMP aimed at closing this gap by the development of a consistent, physically based, and multiscale simulation strategy for the analysis of the dynamic and impact behavior of the next generation of composite materials. The proposed simulation strategy describes systematically the material behavior at different length scales from ply/tow to laminate and to component level accounting for strain rate effects. One additional advantage of this bottom-up multiscale approach is that changes in the properties of the constituents (fiber, matrices), the fiber architecture or laminate lay-up can be easily incorporated to provide new predictions of the macroscopic behavior of the composite under impact. As a result of this action, a wide range of mechanical testing techniques capable of interrogating the mechanical behavior of composites at different length scales, from micrometers to millimeters, and at different strain rates, from quasi-static to dynamic conditions, has been developed. These tests have used to determine the mechanical properties of composite constituents (fiber, matrix and interfaces) as a function of strain rate, and these properties fed into multiscale simulations to predict the mechanical behavior of composite coupons under dynamic conditions. These novel experimental and simulation tools, developed in the context of an International Training Network with extensive participation of non-academic partners, will contribute to a new knowledge-based design paradigm that can speed up the introduction of better composite materials tailored for dynamic applications by the European composite industry. To find out more, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OgGmHvqWAM&feature=youtu.be.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз