Citation:
Sobhani Aragh B, Borzabadi Farahani E, Xu BX, et al., (2021) Manufacturable insight into modelling and design considerations in fibre-steered composite laminates: state of the art and perspective. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Volume 379, June 2021, Article number 113752
Abstract:
The advent of novel robot-assisted composite manufacturing techniques has enabled
steering of fibre paths in the plane of the lamina, leading to the emergence of the socalled
variable angle tow (VAT) composite laminates. These laminates, with spatially
varying fiber angle orientations, provide the designer with the ability to tailor the pointwise
stiffness properties of VAT composites with substantially more efficient structural
performance over conventional straight fibre laminates. As the application of fibresteered
composite laminates has reached an unprecedented scale in both academia
and industry in recent years, a reflection upon the state-of-the-art advancements in the
modelling, design, and analysis of these advanced structures becomes vital for
successfully shaping the future landscape. Motivated by the gap and shortcomings in
the available review works, in the present paper, firstly underlying fibre placement
technologies including tailored fiber placement (TFP), continuous tow shearing (CTS),
and automated fibre placement (AFP) are presented and discussed in detail.
Afterwards, mathematical models of reference fibre path in fibre--steering technology
will be reviewed, followed by providing a discussion on the manufacturing limitations
and constraints of the AFP process. Then, design considerations in constructing a ply
with multiple courses are elaborated and key techniques to fill the entire layer with
several courses are reviewed. This review is then followed by an introduction to the
continuity and smoothness of fiber paths. Furthermore, a description on the material
and geometric uncertainties is elaborated. Last but not least, the plate and shell
laminate theories, which establish the fundamental core of the modelling and design of
VAT composite structures, will be discussed.