Modeling Fiber Composites during the Cure Process for Piezoelectric Actuation

Darryl V. Murray, Oliver J. Myers

.

DOI: 10.4236/wjm.2013.31002                

Abstract

Analytical, numerical, and experimental modeling methods are presented to predict deformation after the cure process of thin unsymmetric laminates for piezoelectric actuation. During fabrication, laminates deform to several post-cure room temperature shapes. Thin cross-ply laminates deform to a circular cylindrical post-cure shape while thicker laminates deform to a saddle shape. Post-cure shapes are dependent on ply orientation, thickness, and material properties. Because, CLT alone does not always predict the correct post-cure room temperature shape of the thin composite laminates, an extension of CLT with the Rayleigh-Ritz technique and potential energies are used to better predict these shapes. Finite element models are used to predict the post-cure room temperature shapes. Thin composite laminates are modeled coupling heat transfer and structural mechanics, which are necessary for modeling the cure process. Modeling the fabrication process captured important data such as residual stresses from the cure process, room temperature shapes, and bi-stability of the composite laminates. To validate these analytical and numerical results, experiments were con- ducted using macro-fiber composite (MFC) patches for morphing the laminates. The experimental piezoelectric morph- ing results relate well to analytical and numerical results.

Keywords

Composite; Piezoelectric; Morphing; Modeling

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	P. Giddings, C. R. Bowen, R. Butler and H. A. Kim, “Characterisation of Actuation Properties of Piezoelectric Bi-Stable Carbon-Bre Laminates,” Composites, Vol. 39, No. 4, 2008, pp. 697-703.
[2]	M. L. Dano and M. W. Hyer, “Snap-Through of Unsymmetric Ber-Reinforced Composite Laminates,” International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 39, 2001, pp. 175-198.
[3]	M. L. Dano and M. W. Hyer, “Thermally-Induced Deformation Behavior of Unsymmetric Laminates,” International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 35, No. 17, 1998, pp. 2101-2120. doi:10.1016/S0020-7683(97)00167-4
[4]	C. R. Bowen, R. Butler, R. Jervis, H. A. Kim and A. L. T. Salo, “Morphing and Shape Control Using Unsymmetrical Composites,” Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, Vol. 22, No. 18, 2007, pp. 89-98.
[5]	M. W. Hyer and A. Jilani, “Predicting the Deformation Characteristics of Rectangular Unsymmetric Laminated Piezoelectric Materials,” Smart Material Structures, Vol. 7, No. 6, 1998, pp. 784-791. doi:10.1088/0964-1726/7/6/006
[6]	M. Schlecht, K. Schulte and M. W. Hyer, “Advanced Calculation of the Room-Temperature Shapes of Thin Unsymmetric Composite Laminates,” Composite Structures, Vol. 32, No. 1, 1995, pp. 627-633. doi:10.1016/0263-8223(95)00080-1
[7]	D. N. Bettes, I. T. Salo, C. R. Bowen and H. A. Kim, “Characterization and Modeling of the Cured Shapes of Arbitrary Layup Bi-Stable Composite Laminates,” Composite Structures, Vol. 92, No. 7, 2010, pp. 1694-1700. doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2009.12.005
[8]	M. W. Hyer, “Stress Analysis of Ber-Reinforced Composite Materials,” McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, 1998.
[9]	R. M. Jones, “Mechanics of Composite Materials,” Taylor and Francis Group, New York, 1999.
[10]	M. Gigliotti, M. R. Wisnom and K. D. Potter, “Development of Curvature during the Cure of as4/8552 [0/90] Unsymmetric Composite Plates,” Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 63, No. 2, 2003, pp. 187-197. doi:10.1016/S0266-3538(02)00195-1
[11]	F. Mattioni, P. M. Weaver, K. D. Potter and M. I. Friswell, “Analysis of Thermally Induced Multi-Stable Composites,” International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 45, No. 2, 2008, pp. 657-675. doi:10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2007.08.031
[12]	P. Portela, P. Camanho, P. Weaver and I. Bond, “Analysis of Morphing Multi Stable Structures Actuated by Piezoelectric Patches,” Computers and Structures, Vol. 86, No. 3-5, 2008, pp. 347-356. doi:10.1016/j.compstruc.2007.01.032
[13]	C. G. Diaconu, P. M. Weaver and A. F. Arrieta, “Dynamic Analysis of Bi-Stable Composite Plates,” Sound and Vibration, Vol. 322, No. 4-5, 2009, pp. 987-1004. doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2008.11.032
[14]	K. D. Cowley and P. W. R. Beaumont, “The Measurement and Prediction of Residual Stresses in Carbon Ber/ Polymer Composites,” Composite Science and Technology, Vol. 57, No. 11, 1997, pp. 1445-1455. doi:10.1016/S0266-3538(97)00048-1
[15]	L. Ren and A. Parvizi-Majidi, “Cured Shape of Cross-Ply Composite Thin Shells,” Composite Materials, Vol. 37, No. 20, 2003, pp. 1801-1820.
[16]	M. Gigliotti, R. Wisnom and K. D. Potter, “Loss of Bifurcation and Multiple Shapes of Thin [0/90] Unsymmetric Composite Plates Subject to Thermal Stress,” Composite Science and Technology, Vol. 64, No. 1, 2004, pp. 109-128.
[17]	M. W. Hyer, “Calculations of the Room Temperature Shapes of Unsymmetric Laminates,” Composite Materials, Vol. 15, 1981, pp. 296-309.
[18]	M. R. Wisnom, M. Gigliotti, N. Ersoy, M. Campbell and K. D. Potter, “Mechanisms Generating Residual Stresses and Distortion during Manufacture of Polymer-Matrix Composite Structures,” Composites: Part A, Vol. 37, No. 4, 2006, pp. 522-529. doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2005.05.019
[19]	PTC, “Mathcad Users Guide,” mathCAD 14.0 Edition, 2007.
[20]	A. J. Vizzini, “Introduction to Composite Materials,” Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 1990.
[21]	COMSOL Multi-Physics 3.5a, “Structural Mechanics Module Users Guide,” 2008.
[22]	D. J. Leo, “Engineering Analysis of Smart Material Systems,” John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, 2007.
[23]	M. R. Schultz, M. W. Hyer, R. B. Williams, W. K. Wilkie and D. J. Inman, “Snap-Through of Unsymmetric Laminates Using Piezocomposite Actuators,” Composite Science and Technology, Vol. 66, No. 14, 2006, pp. 24422448. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2006.01.027