Modelling Of Lightweight Three Layered Aluminium-Steel-Aluminium Composites Using Ansys Parametric Design Language

Mechanical Engineering

Layered composite materials are extensively used in aerospace, defense, marine, automobile, and many other industries. They are generally lighter and stiffer than other structural materials. A layered composite material consists of several layers of a composite mixture consisting of matrix and fibers. Each layer may have similar or dissimilar material properties with different fiber orientations under varying stacking sequence. Because, composite materials are produced in many combinations and forms, the design engineer must consider many design alternatives. It is essential to know the stress and buckling characteristics of such structures subjected to static & dynamic loads in complex environmental conditions. The structural components made of composite materials such as aircraft wings, helicopter blades, vehicle axles and turbine blades can be approximated as layered composite beams, shells & plates. In this study, a three layered composite shell consisting of middle layer of High Strength Steel-4340 and outside layers of Aluminium Alloy 7075-76 is designed and analysed for complex aerodynamic loading. The analysis results are found for both elemental & nodal solution. The maximum elastic strain intensity is 0.00855 for elemental solution while the maximum value of Stress Intensity is 0.594e+09 for Nodal Solution, which indicates the variation in the stress intensities in different materials corresponding to their moduli of elasticity. The analysis results directly relate to the stress-strain characteristics of each material and need to be carefully considered keeping in view the variation in stress-strain characteristics of different grades of steel and numerous alloys of Aluminium. Further, the minimum & maximum elastic strain intensities are 0.172e-04 and 0.00855 respectively for both elemental & nodal solution. The behavior of each material subject to axial & biaxial tensile as well as compressive loading up to elastic limit is taken into account in the analysis of composites for point loads. The effect due to pure bending & pure torsion is considered to be negligible and thereby not considered in the analysis.

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