Experimental and numerical study on influence of embedded interrogator geometry on structural performance of fiber reinforced composites

In this paper, a finite element method is presented capable of predicting the influence an embedded interrogator has on the structural performance of the composite host. It starts with the development of a methodology capable of predicting the resin pocket geometry surrounding the inclusion, and the subsequent creation of a cured part used for loading simulations. The obtained results are compared to experimental force-displacement curves obtained on several composite samples with embedded interrogators of different geometries under a 3-point bending load, developed within the EU FP7 SmartFiber project. A very good correspondence between experimental and numerical data is obtained, both in the prediction of the resin pocket geometry as well as the resulting force-displacement curves. A consequence of the developed modelling technique is that it allows the numerical study of shape optimization of embedded structures in order to minimize the detrimental effects of the inclusion on the structural performance of the composite structure.

Publication year:2015

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