Composite Part Design

Composite part design requires specialized expertise due to the anisotropic properties, complex failure modes, and manufacturing considerations. BanuMusa R&D offers comprehensive composite part design services to help engineers and product designers harness the full potential of composite materials.

Composite materials offer many benefits over metals like high strength, stiffness, and corrosion resistance combined with lighter weight. As a result, composite parts are increasingly used in aerospace, automotive, marine, and other industries.

These services can include stress analysis using finite element analysis to optimize ply orientations, predict failure modes and determine part life. Layup optimization services determine the stack sequence and the number of plies needed to maximize mechanical performance within weight constraints. Tooling design services cover the molds, fixtures, bladders, and mandrels required for fabrication.

Process engineering services select the most suitable manufacturing technique like compression molding, resin transfer molding, or autoclave curing. Design for manufacturability recommendations simplifies part geometry to reduce costs. Tolerances and fit analyses specify achievable tolerances based on the intended use. Non-destructive testing recommendations verify part quality.

Joint and attachment design services cover ways to securely join composite parts to other structures using fasteners, adhesives, and co-bonding. Comprehensive part design and documentation deliver all required drawings, specifications, and work instructions. Prototyping assistance and mechanical/environmental testing verify design requirements have been met.

The goal of composite part design services is to produce final part designs that are lightweight, high-performance, robust, cost-effective, and optimized for the chosen manufacturing process. By leveraging these services, companies can reduce development time, lower costs, and streamline part certification – allowing them to focus on their core competence while outsourcing the composite design expertise.

Composite Part Design Services

Here is some services BanuMusa R&D offer for composite part design:

Material selection and testing – Selecting the optimal composite material based on the part requirements, and testing samples to verify material properties.
Material calibration – Determining the physical properties and characteristics of a material in order to accurately model and simulate its behavior.
Stress analysis and FEA – Performing static, dynamic, and thermal stress analyses using finite element analysis to determine critical loads, failure modes, and life of the part.
Layup optimization – Determining the optimum fiber orientation, stacking sequence, and the number of plies to maximize strength, stiffness, and stability within weight constraints.
Tooling design – Designing molds, mandrels, bladders, and other tooling required for part fabrication using the chosen manufacturing process.
Process engineering – Selecting the most suitable manufacturing process based on the part geometry, material, performance requirements, and cost targets.
Part design for manufacturability – Incorporating design features that make the part easier and less expensive to manufacture using the chosen process, like eliminating small radii and sharp corners.
Tolerances and fit analysis – Specifying achievable tolerances for the part based on the intended use and interfaces with other components, and conducting tolerance analyses.
Non-destructive testing methods – Recommending and assisting with ultrasonic, radiographic, and/or thermographic testing of prototype and production parts to detect defects.
Joint and attachment design – If required, design joints that allow the part to be securely fastened to other structures using fasteners, adhesives, or other methods.
Detail design and documentation – Producing detailed 2D and 3D designs, drawings, process sheets, test plans, work instructions, and Bills of Materials for part fabrication and certification.
Prototyping and testing – Assisting with the manufacture of prototype parts and conducting mechanical, environmental, and performance tests to verify design requirements are met.

Composite Modelling and Analysis in BanuMusa R&D:

Composites are materials made by combining two or more components with different properties. Fiber-reinforced polymer composites are the most common.
Composites have anisotropic material properties that depend on the fiber orientation. This makes modeling and analysis more complex than isotropic materials like metals.
Composite modeling techniques:

- Micromechanical modeling treats the composite as a combination of fibers and matrix. It can predict effective properties but is very complex. learn more …
- Macromechanical modeling treats the composite as a continuum with homogeneous, equivalent anisotropic properties. It is easier to implement in FEA but less accurate.

Types of composite analysis:

- Structural analysis determines stresses, strains, and failure modes under static and dynamic loads. It requires layer-by-layer ply modeling and accounts for anisotropic properties.

–Thermal analysis predicts distortions, residual stresses, and property changes due to temperature variations. It considers different coefficients of thermal expansion for fibers and matrix.

–Modal analysis determines natural frequencies and mode shapes. Mass and stiffness matrices are formulated based on equivalent anisotropic properties.

-Nonlinear analysis can model progressive damage accumulation, delamination and failure. It requires defining failure criteria.