Publications

Effectiveness of modeling thin composite structures using hex shell elements

Garcia, Ricardo M.; Tipton, David G.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of modeling thin composite structures with hex shell elements for structural dynamics simulation. The current finite element modeling method for an existing three-layer composite aerospace structure uses solid 8-noded hex elements. It is relatively expensive in terms of the number of degrees of freedom and element count. A finer mesh typically results in a more accurate solution, however, the computation time increases. Modal analysis was used to test if a single layer of hex shell elements for each material could replace multiple layers of solid hex elements, enabling computational savings. Element aspect ratio was varied on a solid hex model of a frustum part to optimize the technique. The hex shell modeling technique was then applied to the existing three-layer composite structure. The analysis results, when compared to validation data obtained from tests performed on the actual hardware, exhibit very satisfactory agreement. A single layer of hex shell elements are capable of providing solutions that are equivalent to multiple layers of hex elements. A considerable savings in element count and solution equations result. A broader understanding of modeling options for future, more efficient methods of modeling composite shell structures is also obtained. ©2010 Society for Experimental Mechanics Inc.