Abstract

In the last 40 years composite materials usage in aircraft structure increased allowing to reduce weight significantly. The maturity level attained from composite (but also metallic) technologies actually limits the potential of weight saving for the next generation of aircrafts. Aerostructures represent 52% of the aircraft weight and contribute for 20%-25% to the CO2 emissions. Breakthroughs in aircraft shapes, composite manufacturing technologies and design and sizing tools are mandatory to explore new ways to save weight and increase performance. STELIA Aerospace activities try to improve composite methods and tools in order to get more optimized and less conservative structures. Actually the reduced time involved in the development of structures and the lack of a direct connection between the design/sizing methods and tools and the manufacturing processes limit the potential of weight saving could be attained. The purpose of the activity presented in this work is to assure the set-up of a virtual chain between the design and the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) manufacturing tools in an industrial environment combining optimization algorithms, surrogates, manufacturing process simulations and complex failure models analysis. Building a framework where the design tools (CAD), sizing tools (CAE/FE) and manufacturing process simulations (CAM) are connected allows to manage upstream in the aerostructure development cycle the definition of a large number of design configurations, fastly estimating the manufacturing feasibility and sizing the real component as manufactured including effect of defects. The approach presented in this work enlarge the design space of composite solutions parametrically and/or topologically optimizing both conventional and nonconventional concepts; design rules, manufacturing technology limitations and methods for certification are included in preliminary sizing using appropriate surrogates; early production of not appropriate and costly demonstrators causing strict design rules and engineering requirements for manufacturing is avoided sizing structures as-manufactured, predicting defect appearance and optimizing defects distribution.