Process for optimizing the structural design of a stiffened composite material panel

• US 7,668,701 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SL (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Gómez López, José Carlos, Meizoso Latova, Daniel, Rodríguez Sánchez, José Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): JONES, HUGH M
• Application Number:
  US11/639,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20080103740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/2
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/26 Composites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material, optimizing a target variable, comprising a first preparation phase (21) in which a Simulation Model (25) of the stiffened panel (9) with all the relevant information for the structural analysis thereof is obtained from a General Finite Element Model (23) and the modifiable variables and the restrictions (27) are defined, and a second simulation phase (51) in which the design variables are iteratively modified for the purpose of optimizing the target variable, taking into account in each iteration the load distribution changes resulting from the previous iteration, and verifying that the restrictive conditions and the safety margins associated to the pre-established failure modes are met using for that purpose simulation expert modules (55) of families of failure modes.

Claims

1. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material, optimizing a target variable, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

a) Obtaining a Simulation Model (25) of the stiffened panel (9) including all the relevant information for the structural analysis thereof from a General Finite Element Model (23);

b) Providing the definition of at least one modifiable design variable of the stiffened panel (9);

c) Providing the definition of at least one restrictive condition that the design of the stiffened panel (9) must meet;

d) Providing at least one simulation expert module (55) of a family of failure modes of the stiffened panel (9), wherein said at least one simulation expert module (55) of a family of failure modes of the stiffened panel (9) takes into account the interactions existing between the different failure modes of the family;

e) Iteratively modifying the design variables of the Simulation Model (25) of the stiffened panel (9) for the purpose of optimizing the target variable, taking into account in each iteration the load distribution changes resulting from the previous iteration, and verifying that said at least one restrictive condition as well as the safety margin associated to the pre-established failure modes are met by using said at least one simulation expert module (55).

2. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 1, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

3. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 1, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

4. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 3, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

5. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 1, characterized in that the target variable is the weight of the stiffened panel (9).

6. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 5, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

7. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 5, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

8. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 5, characterized in that several simulation expert modules (55) of families of failure modes of the stiffened panel are provided, and in that the interactions existing between the failure modes of the various simulation expert modules (55) are taken into account in the verification of compliance with the safety margins associated to the pre-established failure modes using said expert modules.

9. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 8, characterized in that the families of failure modes object of said simulation expert modules (55) include one or more of the following:

instability, damage tolerance and repair capacity.

10. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 8, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

11. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 1, characterized in that several simulation expert modules (55) of families of failure modes of the stiffened panel are provided, and in that the interactions existing between the failure modes of the various simulation expert modules (55) are taken into account in the verification of compliance with the safety margins associated to the pre-established failure modes using said expert modules.

12. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 11, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.

13. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 11, characterized in that the families of failure modes object of said simulation expert modules (55) include one or more of the following:

instability, damage tolerance and repair capacity.

14. A computer-aided process for carrying out the structural design of a stiffened panel (9) made of a composite material according to claim 13, characterized in that said stiffened panel (9) is a skin of a torsion box of an aircraft.