As-built FE simulation of advanced fibre placement structures based on manufacturing data

To manufacture advanced fibre placement (AFP) structures according to the results of conceptual design and optimisation, several manufacturing constraints must be considered. As a result, the computationally optimised solution often cannot be perfectly achieved within the manufacturing process. Instead, a producible fibre alignment is realised, which may include local fibre particularities and, hence, locally raised material efforts. To properly account for the real fibre path, the As-built Feedback Method has been developed. It transforms manufacturing data of AFP structures to as-built FE-models by suitably considering the realised fibre orientations as well as special fibre features like tight fibre curves. In the present paper, the Feedback Method is exemplarily applied to an AFP tension strap. By investigating failure analysis results, significant discrepancies have been identified between as-built and as-design. Thus, the application of the Feedback Method is particularly advantageous, if the effect of irregular fibre alignments is important.