A Study on the Coupling Effect of Draping Angle and Size of a Draped Composite Egg-Box Structure on Its Deformation

Abstract

Draping simulation of complex egg-box structure is conducted using non-orthogonal constitutive VUMAT code and composite lay-up model. Laminated shell is modelled considering tension, in-plane shear, bending properties, and the influence of laminate thickness on the draping process to improved the finite element model, for high simulation accuracy. To determine the effect of draping angle and structure size on drapability, four draping angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°) and three structure sizes (small, medium, large) are considered in the simulation. The results are compared with experimental results. Shear deformation pattern, including wrinkle generation, is investigated in terms of structure size and draping angle by using a unit cell with two major axes (side-wall and saddle).