Contemporary Software Tools In The Design Process Of Composite Structures

Abstract

Due to a very good strength to weight ratio and the capability of modeling complex geometric shapes, composite materials have been used for manufacturing of aircraft parts for more than half a century. However, their introduction into service proceeded very slowly, primarily due to the complex manufacturing process that follows each phase of development, from preliminary design through analysis and detail design to manufacturing and assembly. The high cost of composite parts in comparison with aluminum as well as an increased security risk due to insufficient knowledge of the behavior of composites and lack of experience in their use, require from the designer to put great effort into designing of composite parts in order to obtain a competitive product that is safe for use. The great development of computer technology facilitated the process of producing the composite parts. Modern software tools customized to each stage of composite parts manufacturing have enabled the use of composites to a large extent on the latest generation of aircrafts. This paper describes the ways modern software tools are used in the design of composite parts.