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DEFORM: Design against Fatigue of Multi-Stable and More Efficient Aerospace Composite Structures Driven by Sequential Buckling for Greener Aviation

Project description

Making aerostructures able to switch among stable shapes with high fatigue performance

Multi-stable composite structures hold great potential for creating adaptive aerospace designs that reduce fuel consumption. However, achieving both multi-stability and the stiffness needed to carry loads is challenging, and repeated stable-mode switches can lead to fatigue damage. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DEFORM project plans to design next-generation aerospace structures exhibiting both multi-stability and high fatigue resistance. Using an innovative three-phase framework, DEFORM will develop tailored layup configurations for sequential buckling design, advanced fatigue damage modelling for non-linearly large deformation, and real-time damage diagnostics for structural-level assessment. The proposed work will push the boundaries of aerospace design, enabling more efficient and durable composite structures for the future.

Objective

Multi-stable composite structures are promising candidates to create adaptive/morphing structures and decrease fuel consumption for aerospace sectors. However, it seems to be a paradox to allow structures being multi-stable and stiff enough to carry loads simultaneously. Repetitive stable-mode switches also cause fatigue damage onset.

To support EU aviation emission cut by 2050, DEFORM will deliver a cutting-edge design of next-generation aerospace structures exhibiting both multi-stability and high fatigue performance. Current knowledge gaps are: whether we can modify existing aerospace structures to become multi-stable; how their fatigue damage accumulates under non-linearly large deformation. DEFORM will use a three-phase interdisciplinary framework to fill in the gaps. Phase 1: Tailor non-uniform thermal stress distribution to create sequential-buckling-driven multi-stability for stiffened aerospace composite structures that can perform three stable modes under varying load amplitudes. Phase 2: Implant buckling-mode switch analysis into a virtual-crack-closure-technique-based algorithm for efficient fatigue damage modelling, providing dataset to optimise a down-scaled demonstrator with extended fatigue life and increased fatigue damage resistance. Phase 3: Perform multi-field interactive damage diagnostics in real time to measure optical-acoustic-mechanical properties at a structural level, for evaluation of fatigue damage accumulation scheme of composite structures under repetitive stable-mode switches.

Overall, DEFORM will advance state-of-art of against-fatigue design, modelling and testing for multi-stable aerospace structures beyond the known limits, supporting European Green Deal for the EU’s ambition of climate neutral by 2050.

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 209 483,28
Address
PIAZZA LEONARDO DA VINCI 32
20133 Milano
Italy

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Region
Nord-Ovest Lombardia Milano
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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