Efficient cutout designs in fiber reinforced composite structures

The demand for superior performance requires that aircraft must eliminate excessive weight. One area of critical design is cutouts. This work focuses on the effects of various cutout designs in fiber reinforced composite flat panels. Stress/strain information obtained through the use of a finite element program PATRAN, with numerical solutions performed in ABAQUS. Variations of cutout shape, and cutout proximity to one another have been evaluated. The square cutout causes the lowest stress concentration. The hexagonal cutout, which removes unstressed fibers around the hole, intensified the stress higher than the square, yet lower than the circular cutout. This phenomena may be only particular to the single load case and material/fiber orientation.

Efficient cutout designs in fiber reinforced composite structures Conference Paper