Development of a Numerical Tool for Laminate Composite Distortion Computation Through a Dual-Approach Strategy

Unintended shape distortions, such as spring-in, spring-back, and warping, commonly occur during the curing process of laminate composites. The source of dimensional changes at the macro-scale is residual stress. The main triggers for residual stresses at this scale are anisotropic behavior and the constraint effect of individual plies and tooling constraints. Thermoelastic residual stresses are quasi-reversible, whereas non-thermoelastic residual stresses are permanent, and the underlying mechanisms contributing to them are highly intricate. The challenges associated with simulating the curing of large-scale parts to obtain reliable engineering data are significantly influenced by factors such as thermal anisotropy, polymerization shrinkage, tool–part interaction, resin flow, and compaction. A comprehensive grasp of the involved phenomena can facilitate the creation and application of numerical tools that model the curing process, providing essential information on geometry distortion that is crucial for the overall manufacturing of structural components and assemblies. To ensure that a numerical prediction tool is dependable in terms of both accuracy and precision, it is essential to have significant experimental backing throughout the entire process, from selecting the appropriate mathematical models to calibrating the calculations of distortion values.