The design of a new composite object starts with an idea. This idea is then developed by engineers, who try to meet the starting (customer’s) requirements, such as the weight limit, maximum deflection under load, etc. Traditionally, the optimization of CFRP components takes place in a second step, usually following the prototype or the first production batch. It is generally used to reduce the starting weight, increase stiffness, or for other important reasons such as cost reduction. In most engineering sectors, using an optimization approach already in the early design stages is an uncommon thing. Thanks to the high computing power available today, numerical simulation time has been drastically reduced. Indeed, workstations with a high number of cores and large amounts of RAM are available at a cost that would have been prohibited, if not unattainable, ten years ago. This has made finite element analysis (FEA) accessible and fast. The calculation time for FEA has evolved from the order of days/weeks to the order of minutes. Today, it is possible to perform hundreds or thousands of numerical simulations in cascade in a short time. This opens the door to totally different approaches for the design of composite components.
Optimization approach for designing composite components
Marco Povolo
2020
Abstract
The design of a new composite object starts with an idea. This idea is then developed by engineers, who try to meet the starting (customer’s) requirements, such as the weight limit, maximum deflection under load, etc. Traditionally, the optimization of CFRP components takes place in a second step, usually following the prototype or the first production batch. It is generally used to reduce the starting weight, increase stiffness, or for other important reasons such as cost reduction. In most engineering sectors, using an optimization approach already in the early design stages is an uncommon thing. Thanks to the high computing power available today, numerical simulation time has been drastically reduced. Indeed, workstations with a high number of cores and large amounts of RAM are available at a cost that would have been prohibited, if not unattainable, ten years ago. This has made finite element analysis (FEA) accessible and fast. The calculation time for FEA has evolved from the order of days/weeks to the order of minutes. Today, it is possible to perform hundreds or thousands of numerical simulations in cascade in a short time. This opens the door to totally different approaches for the design of composite components.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
