The automated fiber placement process (AFP) enables the manufacturing of large and geometrical complex fiber composite structures with high quality at low cycle times. Although the AFP process is highly accurate and reproducible, manufacturing induced imperfections in the produced composite structure occur. This review summarizes and classifies typical AFP-related manufacturing defects. Several methodologies for evaluating the effects of such manufacturing defects from the literature are reviewed. This review paper presents recent scientific contributions and discusses proposed experimental and simulation-based methodologies. Among the identified ten defect classes, gaps and overlaps are predominant. This paper focuses then on methods for modelling and assessing gaps and overlaps. The state of the art in modelling gaps and overlaps and assessing their influence on mechanical properties is presented. Finally, research gaps and remaining issues are identified.

Purpose – To obtain a good start configuration in the early design phase, simulation tools are used to create a large number of product designs and to evaluate their performance. To reduce the effort for the model generation, analysis and evaluation, a design environment for thin-walled lightweight structures (DELiS) with the focus on structural mechanics of aircrafts has been developed. Design/methodology/approach – The core of DELiS is a parametric model generator, which creates models of thin-walled lightweight structures for the aircraft preliminary design process. It is based on the common parametric aircraft configuration schema (CPACS), which is an abstract aircraft namespace. DELiS facilitates interfaces to several commercial and non-commercial finite element solvers and sizing tools. Findings – The key principles and the advantages of the DELiS process are illustrated. Also, a convergence study of the finite element model of the wing and the fuselage and the result on the mass after the sizing pr...

In this paper, a benchmark analysis of a peridynamic correspondence energy-based damage model is presented. The benchmark is an experimental setup of a Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plate with a hole. The plate has a minotch and is subject to a compressive load. With increasing loads, a crack initiates at the tip of the notch and continuously grows. The benchmark is modeled utilizing the peridynamic correspondence formulation as a two-dimensional problem. To reduce numerical issues due to bond failure, an adaptive time-stepping method for a Verlet time integration schema is proposed. The method limits the maximum number of broken bonds per material point by adapting the time-step size. This allows the correspondence formulation to be significantly more stable. The benchmark involves a sensitivity analysis based on the Morris method, which is performed in this context. As a result, uncertainties and the impact of geometrical, numerical and material parameters are evaluated and discussed.

The paper presents a validation approach for an enhanced energy‐based failure model for state‐based peridynamics. Model robustness and validity of predicted crack initiation and propagation is demonstrated for a double cantilever beam. Tensile tests using the same material and energy release rate from the prior simulations are used to predict specimen failure. The model is implemented in the software Peridigm and will be published open‐source.