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Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications

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A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 15625

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Angelo De Fenza

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Guest Editor

CIRA, Italian Aerospace Research Centre, 81043 Capua, Italy
Interests: advanced composite materials; CFRP materials; CMC materials; aerospace structures; structural stability; virtual testing; structural health monitoring; damage detection; noise and vibrations control; manufacturing processes for aerospace industry

Dr. Mario De Stefano Fumo

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Guest Editor

CIRA, Italian Aerospace Research Centre, 81043 Capua, Italy
Interests: high temperature materials for aerospace applications; ceramic matrix composites materials; ceramic thermal protection system; re-entry & hypersonic systems and technologies; heat transfer; high speed aerodynamics; space technologies; manufacturing processes for aerospace industry
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Dr. Giuseppe Rufolo

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Guest Editor

CIRA, Italian Aerospace Research Centre, 81043 Capua, Italy
Interests: high temperature materials for aerospace applications; ceramic matrix composites materials; ceramic thermal protection systems; aerodynamics; computational fluid dynamics; systems engineering; design of experiments; fluid mechanics; aerospace modeling and simulation; manufacturing processes for aerospace industry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past few decades, aerospace science and technology has undergone outstanding advancements in terms of the use of composite materials in aerospace applications. Currently, improvements in the development of high-performance structural materials and their applications in cutting-edge manufacturing processes represent one of the most attractive research fields, together with the ever-growing ability to simulate the behavior of such materials, from constituents’ materials to full-scale structures, indicating the use of virtual testing and the digital twin approach. Fiber-reinforced composites are some of the most significant materials that can be used to magnify aerospace development due to the capability of the fibers to be incorporated with several kinds of matrices, such as polymer, metal, and ceramic materials. The use of composite materials in the aerospace sector can satisfy the need to decrease detrimental impacts, such as fatigue, damage tolerance, humidity and high temperature loads, which occur due to harsh environments and operation during operative life.

The aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the understanding of the use of composite materials in engineering structures, with a special focus on aeronautics and space applications. The objective is to collect international contributions regarding the advancement of the state of the art of researchers, manufacturers and designers who are working in the field of composite materials and their structures. The main topics of interest for articles are design, research and development studies, experimental investigations, theoretical analyses and fabrication techniques relevant to the application of composites as components for assemblies in aeronautics and space structures.

Members of the research community are invited to contribute their research articles, communications, and reviews regarding advanced aerospace composite materials. The Special Issue will contain articles concerning all aspects of current scientific and technological progress in this interdisciplinary field. The topics of interest are physical, chemical, mechanical and other properties of advanced composites as well as their constituent materials; experimental and theoretical studies relating microscopic to macroscopic behavior; testing and evaluation with emphasis on environmental effects and reliability; novel techniques for fabricating various types of composites and for forming structural components utilizing these materials; design and analysis for specific applications such as reusability for space missions.

All papers will be subject to a rigorous peer review process to ensure they make an important and novel contribution, and a high standard is set for the contents of this Special Issue. The Editors aim to conduct the review procedure with the shortest possible delay in order to ensure prompt publication.

Dr. Angelo De Fenza
Dr. Mario De Stefano Fumo
Dr. Giuseppe Rufolo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Dr. Giuseppe Rufolo
Dr. Mario De Stefano Fumo
Dr. Angelo De Fenza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 30326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CFRP Conical Grid Space Structure with Embedded Fiber Optics: Design, Manufacturing and Test

by Giovanni Totaro, Felice De Nicola, Paola Spena, Giovangiuseppe Giusto, Monica Ciminello, Ilan Weissberg, Yehonatan Carmi, Daniel Arviv and Nir Lalazar

Aerospace 2024, 11(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11010041 - 29 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1438

Abstract

This article discloses the activity developed in the framework of the research project “GRID” aiming at the feasibility demonstration of a fiber optic sensing system (FOS), based on fiber Bragg gratings (FGB), embedded in the ribs of a conical grid structure demonstrator in composite material (CFRP), manufactured by means of dry robotic winding, liquid resin infusion and oven curing. This structure represents an optimized and highly efficient conical adapter for satellite applications that was designed under the same requirements of a conventional CFRP benchmark solution in order to evaluate possible mass savings. Specific interfaces were conceived in order to facilitate the insertion of the fiber optics in the center of helical ribs—pausing the automated deposition phase of the dry preform—and secure them to the structure. Representative grid articles were produced and tested to select the materials and evaluate the preliminary feasibility of the integrated system in conjunction with the infusion process. The proper functioning and use of the sensing system were finally proven during the various phases of the mechanical testing campaign of the demonstrator. Such a campaign included stiffness and strength evaluations and culminated with the catastrophic failure of the structure. The significant amount of data collected from several sensors embedded in the ribs and from conventional sensors glued outside the ribs helped us to better understand the structural behavior and to validate the design and analysis models. The main steps of the design, manufacturing and tests of this project are here addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications)

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18 pages, 8703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Analysis Results of Debonding Damage Effects for an SHM System Application on a Typical Composite Beam

by Gianluca Diodati, Assunta Sorrentino, Lorenzo Pellone, Antonio Concilio, Monica Ciminello, Gianvito Apuleo, Shay Shoham, Iddo Kressel and David Bardenstein

Aerospace 2023, 10(6), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10060507 - 27 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1357

Abstract

In the aeronautical field, the damage that occurs to a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) structure analysis is a crucial point for further improving its capability and performance. In the current the state of the art, in fact, many issues are linked to the certification process more than to technological aspects. For the sake of clarity, it should be added that regulations call for technological solutions that are invasive (in terms of weight and manufacturing costs) or exploit technologies that are not fully mature. Thus, the truth is in between the above statements. One of the possible solutions to bypass this issue is the assessment of a structural health monitoring system (SHM) that is sufficiently reliable to provide a full-state representation of the structure, automatically, perhaps in real-time, with a minimum intervention of specialized technicians, and that can raise an alert for safe maintenance whenever necessary. Among the different systems that have been proposed in the scientific and technological literature, SHM systems based on strain acquisitions seem very promising: they deduce the presence of flaws by analysing the variations of the intimate response of the structure. In this context, the SHM using fibre optics, supported by a dedicated algorithm, seems to be able to translate the effects of the damage reading the strain field. This means that is necessary to have a full comprehension of the flaws’ effects in terms of strain variation to better formulate a strategy aimed at highlighting these distortions. It should be remarked that each type of damage is distinct; imperfections of the bonding line are herein targeted since the quality of the latter is of paramount importance for ensuring the correct behaviour of the referred structure. This presents paper focuses on a deep investigation on the strain field peculiarities that arise after the imposition of irregularities in the adhesive region. The aim is to explore the damage dimension versus its effect on the strain map, especially when bonding connects different parts of a complex composite beam. By means of finite element method applied on a typical aeronautical beam, a parametric numerical simulation was performed in order to establish the influence of a debonding dimension on a reference strain map. This work provides evidence that these effects on strain flaw decrease the distancing itself of the damage. The knowledge of these effects can be highly helpful during the design of a preliminary phase of an SHM system in order to choose the most suitable sensor in terms of reading sensitivity error, the number to be used, and their location. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications)

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14 pages, 2653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Service Life Modelling of Single Lap Joint Subjected to Cyclic Bending Load

by Murat Demiral, Fethi Abbassi, Riaz Muhammad and Salih Akpinar

Aerospace 2023, 10(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10010008 - 22 Dec 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1948

Abstract

Bonded joints used in wing sections and frames of aircraft structures are mostly exposed to cyclic loadings instead of static ones during their services. Bending types of dynamic loadings are mostly encountered. In this study, the fatigue response of a single lap joint (SLJ) exposed to bending loading was studied with the developed advanced finite-element (FE) model. The cohesive zone model describing the behaviour of the adhesive layer used the damage mechanism, where static and fatigue damages were linked to each other; i.e., the total damage was accumulated because of material deterioration and cyclic plastic separation. This enabled us to predict the fatigue characteristics including the finite fatigue life, crack propagation rate using Paris law. The model was implemented via a user-defined UMAT subroutine offered in ABAQUS-Standard. The numerical model was validated by experiments available in the literature. The fatigue performance of an SLJ subjected to bending loading was investigated for different lap joint configurations. A smaller bending load, a thicker adherend or a longer overlap length (OL) led to enhanced fatigue life. For instance, the fatigue life was observed to increase up to 50 times for a 66% increase in OL. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications)

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19 pages, 2232 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Static and Dynamic Analysis of Re-Entry Vehicle Nose Structures Made of Different Functionally Graded Materials

by Panneerselvam Balaraman, Vijayaraj Stephen Joseph Raj and Veloorillom Madhavan Sreehari

Aerospace 2022, 9(12), 812; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9120812 - 9 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2187

Abstract

High-speed aerospace applications, such as re-entry vehicles, mostly involve thin-walled structural components with a high strength-to-weight ratio and high-temperature resistant. The present novel work comprises the structural and thermal analysis of re-entry vehicle nose structures made of four functionally graded materials (FGM). Four FGM shell structures made of aluminum/silicon carbide, aluminum/aluminum oxide, Ti-6Al-4V/silicon carbide and Ti-6Al-4V/aluminum oxide have been considered for the re-entry vehicle nose. The effect of various thermal environments, as well as the linear temperature rise from metal-rich to ceramic-rich on critical buckling temperature and natural frequency have been studied. The critical buckling temperature, as well as the natural frequency of the large, thin re-entry vehicle nose structures, decrease with an increase in a uniform thermal environment, as well as linear temperature rise. The effect of shell thickness on buckling and dynamic characteristics of an FGM shell is also studied, suiting the nose of the re-entry vehicle under various linear temperature rises. The critical buckling temperature and natural frequency are quantified for several cases, and it was observed that they are significantly influenced by the shell thickness. Thus, the research intends to determine the thickness required for such thin and large shells to withstand in the re-entry thermal conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications)

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23 pages, 17322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compression and Deformation Behaviors of Hierarchical Circular-Cell Lattice Structure with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Energy Absorption Capacity

by Mingzhi Wang, Junchao Zhang and Weidong Wang

Aerospace 2022, 9(12), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9120786 - 2 Dec 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2844

Abstract

The design of lightweight lattice structures with excellent specific mechanical properties has received great attention in recent years. In this paper, inspired by the hierarchical structure of biological materials, a novel hierarchical circular-cell configuration of a lattice structure was proposed. The advantage of the new lattice configuration is that the use of a smooth circular cell is able to alleviate the stress concentration induced by the intersection of straight struts. Additionally, the consideration of structural hierarchy can bring improved mechanical properties of lattice structures. The hierarchical circular lattice structures with 5 × 5 × 5 unit cells were fabricated through a digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer, using the hard-tough resin. The mechanical properties of the lattice structures were investigated by a compression experiment and a numerical simulation. Results show that the interaction effect of structural hierarchy was the potential mechanism for the enhancement of mechanical properties. The designed hierarchical circular-cell lattice structure exhibits improved stress distribution uniformity, enhanced mechanical performance, and energy absorption capacity. The maximum improvement values are ~342.4% for specific stiffness, ~13% for specific strength, ~126.6% for specific energy absorption (SEA), and ~18% for crash load efficiency (CLE). The developed hierarchical circular-cell lattice configuration will enrich the present lattice systems and be useful for future multifunctional applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications)

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33 pages, 20112 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Open-Hole and Reinforcement on the Bearing Performance of the Plain-Woven Fabric Composite I-Section Beams under Shear Load

by Rui Zhou, Weicheng Gao, Wei Liu and Jianxun Xu

Aerospace 2022, 9(10), 537; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9100537 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1759

Abstract

In this article, experiments and finite-element (FE) analyses have been conducted in order to study the effects of open-hole and reinforcement on the buckling and failure of the plain-woven fabric (PWF) composite I-section beams under shear load. With the shear experiments, the buckling and failure characteristics of the PWF composite beams have been obtained, and experimental results of the beams in perfect conditions are compared with the results from the specimens with open-hole and reinforcement in the web region. FE analyses for the composite beams are then carried out with the assistance of the multi-scale method proposed for the PWF composites. With the comparison between the experimental and numerical results, the composite beams’ FE models and the utilized calculation methods are proved to be feasible. According to the parametric study based on the validated models and the multi-scale methods, it is found that the existence of the open-hole decreases the flexural rigidity of the beams’ web region and introduces the stress concentration, which further reduces the structural stability and the shear carrying capacity of the composite beams. With the effects of restraining the structural off-plane deformation and relieving the hole-edge stress concentration, the intercalation reinforcement could effectively improve the bearing performance of the PWF composite beams with open-holes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Composite Materials and Structures for Aerospace Applications)

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