COMPOSITES 2023

Numerical Analysis using GENOA software to obtain Composite Allowables for an aeronautical composite material

  • Conte, Raffaele (LDV)
  • Russo, salvatore (LDV)
  • Gambino, Benedetto (LDV)

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Mechanical properties of composite material laminates for aeronautical usage undergo a deterioration as temperature and humidity increase. The characterization of the aforementioned deterioration is very time and costs consuming. Traditionally engineers have tested materials and coupons in various forms in order to obtain the necessary “material allowable”, consider scatter in composite material laminates, and support scale up according to the “Building Block Testing Approach”. This study wanted to analyse the phenomenon using advanced simulation tools to take into account material microstructure behaviour with a dedicated multi-scale Material Science algorithm in order to know the knockdown factors of the material since the early stages of the project. It has been conducted comparing physical test results vs virtual ones obtained using AlphaSTAR GENOA for an unidirectional material widely used in the aeronautical field. Using the GENOA modules MCA (Material Constituent Analysis), MOA (Material Optimization Analysis) and PFA (Progressive Failure Analysis) we were able to reduce the amount of physical tests (about 70% less) and to maintain very high level of reliability.