DESIGN TOOLS FOR ADVANCED COMPOSITE MATERIALS BASED ON DAMAGE MODELS

Objective

More reliable and realistic design methods are needed for fibre reinforced structures carying fatigueand/or shock loads. It is the objective of this proposal to produce validated user-friendly software design tools. Their development will be based on recent advances in both micromechanics and damage mechanics, and will be supported by experiment. A data base containing material descriptions for the composites tested will be constructed with these tools and interfaced with various dynamic structural analysis codes. The software and the material models will be validated by simulating both simple experiments as well as full-scale tests. The objectives of this project are :

- to develop design tools capable of predicting both the gradual development and the fast growth of damage (e.g. from fatigue, shocks), or a combination of both, during the lifetime of a structure or structural component composed of advanced composite materials;

- to demonstrate thedesign tools by comparing numerical results with experimental tests designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of composite materials when subjected to different loading conditions;

- to perform full-scale experimental studies on components of industrial importance, with the objective of ffurther proving the material models and design tools for industrial applications;

- to consolidate experimental and computational data by constructing a data base of constants associated with each damage model implemented into the design tools. This database will facilitate the rapid determination of degraded material properties;

- to interface this database with various structural dynamic codes used by the industrial partners;

Fields of science

• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › software
• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › databases
• engineering and technology › materials engineering › composites

Programme(s)

• FP3-BRITE/EURAM 2 - Specific programme (EEC) of research and technological development in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

• 2.1.1 - Innovative design tools and techniques

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Thomson Sintra SA

Address

525 Route Des Dolines Sophia Antipolis
06561 Valbonne
France

Participants (7)

Ansaldo Ricerche Srl

Italy

Address

Corso Perrone 25
16161 Genova

BAe SEMA Ltd

United Kingdom

Address

Biwater House Portsmouth Road
KT10 9SJ Esher

IPA NV

Belgium

Address

Zoomstraat 6
9160 Lokeren

Institut National de Recherches en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA)

France

Address

Domaine De Voluceau Rocquencourt
78153 Le Chesnay

SIMULOG

France

Address

1 Rue James Joule
78182 Saint-quentin-en-yvelines

UNIV GENT

Belgium

Address

Technologiepark - Zwijnaarde 9
9052 Zwijnaarde

VOLVO TRUCK CORP

Sweden

Address

S 40508 Goeteborg