Design and manufacturing considerations for ply drops in composite structures

Abstract

Thickness variations are required to optimize the design of modern laminated composite structures. These thickness variations are accomplished by dropping plies along the length to match varying in-plane and bending loads. This results in a structure which is matched to stiffness and loading requirements. Unfortunately, these ply drops produce internal and local stress concentrations as a consequence of geometric discontinuities and shear lag. In this study, we explore various factors for design of composite structures with ply drops. These factors include: thicknesses, ply stacking sequences, ply drop geometries and manufacturing considerations. In addition, fatigue loading is considered with respect to delamination initiation and growth. A strong sensitivity to the position and the manufacturing details of ply drops is shown for fatigue damage initiation and growth. All studies were conducted on a low-cost E-glass/polyester composite system. The results indicate that it will be difficult to completely suppress damage and delamination initiation in service. However, it was found that, in many cases, there is a threshold loading under which there is little growth after initiation is noted. Factors affecting this threshold are analyzed via the virtual crack closure method in Finite Element Analysis and verified experimentally. Design rules for ply dropping are presented on the basis of these results.