Stacking sequence optimization of composite tubes submitted to crushing using the discrete ply model (DPM)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to study the applicability of Discrete Ply Modeling (DPM) to crushing of composite tubes and to study the effect of stacking sequence and trigger geometry on the Specific Energy Absorption (SEA). The model was first validated with experimental results after which various stacking sequences were simulated to optimize it with an aim to increase the SEA. The stacking sequence [90/0₂/90/0₃/90/0/90] performed the best in terms of SEA value. As a result, the confidence of the DPM has been proven for some draping sequences but seems to be less confident to simulate the trigger effect.

Keywords:

• Discrete ply model
• crushing
• specific energy absorption
• finite element model

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to duly thank CALMIP High Performance Computing platform for providing the computational power required for the numerical simulations under the project reference p1026.