Multiscale Failure Analysis of Cylindrical Composite Pressure Vessel: A Parametric Study

Abstract

This paper deals with a multiscale approach to model thick-walled laminate cylinder with internal pressure. Micromechanics defines material homogenization considering two steps: determination of equivalent properties of each lamina from matrix and fiber properties according to the Mori-Tanaka model for elastic properties and to the Bridging model for strengths; and determination of anisotropic homogeneous properties of the laminate built with a set of laminae using asymptotic homogenization. On the other hand, macromechanics determines stress and failure analysis. Lekhnitskii formalism is used to obtain the elastic solution of the stress and strain distributions and failure is analyzed employing the Tsai-Wu criterion. Three different pressure vessel configurations are analyzed according to end conditions: restrained-ends, open-ends and closed-ends. Angle-ply laminates made of carbon fibers and epoxy matrix are considered to evaluate the influence of lay-up angle, fiber volume fraction, wall thickness and end-conditions. The optimum angles as well as the maximum internal pressure are obtained and a parametric analysis is presented. The main results indicate that the optimum angle is almost constant for restrained and closed-ends. On the other hand, for open-end, angle varies in a significant way. Besides, results show that the increase the fiber volume fraction is more effective to increase vessel strength than the increase of the number of layers.

Influence of the Micromechanics Models and Volume Fraction Distribution on the Overall Behavior of SiC/Al Functionally Graded Pressurized Cylinders

“…In the process of micromechanical homogenization, the macroscopic equivalent parameters are obtained through the structural responses of representative volume elements (RVEs) which are defined on a finer scale. In this type of homogenization approach, a material point on the macroscopic level can be related to a representative volume element on the microscopic level where stresses and strains prevail as varying micro-fields, assuming a statistically homogeneous distribution of the heterogeneities (inclusions) throughout the material (Vignoli and Savi 2018). The macro-stresses and macro-strains which characterize the mechanical state of the macroscopic material point can be treated as volumetric averages of the microscopic fields over a certain volume (Vignoli and Savi 2018).…”

“…In this type of homogenization approach, a material point on the macroscopic level can be related to a representative volume element on the microscopic level where stresses and strains prevail as varying micro-fields, assuming a statistically homogeneous distribution of the heterogeneities (inclusions) throughout the material (Vignoli and Savi 2018). The macro-stresses and macro-strains which characterize the mechanical state of the macroscopic material point can be treated as volumetric averages of the microscopic fields over a certain volume (Vignoli and Savi 2018). These volumes must be chosen large enough to contain a certain number of inclusions, but small when compared to any length scale over which the average loading or deformation of the composite varies.…”

Preface to the special issue of the International Symposium on Solid Mechanics (MecSol 2017)

“…• Composite Materials: distortions in composite wing structures (Makinde et al, 2018), failure in composite pressure vessels (Vignoli and Savi, 2018), and dynamic analysis (Marques et al, 2018). • X-FEM, G-FEM, and BEM: crack propagation and X-FEM modelling (Angelo et al, 2018); G-FEM modelling (Sato et al, 2018) and dynamic analysis (Weinhardt et al, 2018); BEM analysis of buckling of anisotropic plates (Monteiro and Daros, 2018), and 3D frictional contact (Ubessi and Marczak, 2018).…”

Hybrid multiscale procedure for damage in notched unidirectional composite monitored by thermography

“…Nevertheless, design of composites plates involves several variables since it is a multiscale task [17,18] and experimental results usually have a quite limited application. [19] On the one hand, analytical investigations have the advantage of good approximations and attractive formulae for optimization procedures.…”