TY - JOUR
T1 - Additive manufacturing of continuous fiber composite curved thin-walled structures with conformal honeycomb-stiffeners based on topology optimization
AU - Chen, Yang
AU - Jing, Shikai
AU - Liang, Chunzu
AU - Wang, Zihao
AU - Bin, Fengjiao
AU - Bu, Xiangxiao
AU - Zhang, Jinlong
AU - Ling, Zhiping
AU - Wang, Xianda
AU - Zhang, Ruixiong
AU - Li, Wei
AU - Xiao, Dengbao
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025
PY - 2025/6
Y1 - 2025/6
N2 - Continuous fiber-reinforced composite (CFRC) thin-walled structures integrated with conformal lattice-stiffeners demonstrate exceptional mass-efficiency and specific stiffness relative to conventional metallic stiffened structures, establishing significant deployment potential in aerospace and transportation systems. Nevertheless, structural performance remains critically limited by non-optimal material distribution and fiber placement. To address these challenges, this study proposes an integrated design-manufacturing framework comprising three innovations: (1) A conformal mapping-based topology optimization method incorporating a higher-order interpolation scheme (guaranteeing G1 continuity) at lattice interfaces; (2) A fiber trajectory planning methodology specifically adapted for curved thin-walled structures; (3) Micro-computed tomography (μCT)-enabled defect characterization quantifying void spatial distributions in additively manufactured (AM) CFRC components. Simulation results demonstrate that the integrated honeycomb-stiffener structure achieves 57.3% and 44.5% maximum stress reduction compared to isolated honeycomb and stiffener benchmark structures, respectively. Comparative evaluation of fiber path planning methods reveals that the contour method achieves superior fiber volume fractions in curved thin-walled structures. Three cases involving optimized design, CFRC-AM, and μCT inspection confirms the proposed framework. The synergy between geometric continuous design and defect-controlled manufacturing advances the development of high-performance CFRC aerospace components.
AB - Continuous fiber-reinforced composite (CFRC) thin-walled structures integrated with conformal lattice-stiffeners demonstrate exceptional mass-efficiency and specific stiffness relative to conventional metallic stiffened structures, establishing significant deployment potential in aerospace and transportation systems. Nevertheless, structural performance remains critically limited by non-optimal material distribution and fiber placement. To address these challenges, this study proposes an integrated design-manufacturing framework comprising three innovations: (1) A conformal mapping-based topology optimization method incorporating a higher-order interpolation scheme (guaranteeing G1 continuity) at lattice interfaces; (2) A fiber trajectory planning methodology specifically adapted for curved thin-walled structures; (3) Micro-computed tomography (μCT)-enabled defect characterization quantifying void spatial distributions in additively manufactured (AM) CFRC components. Simulation results demonstrate that the integrated honeycomb-stiffener structure achieves 57.3% and 44.5% maximum stress reduction compared to isolated honeycomb and stiffener benchmark structures, respectively. Comparative evaluation of fiber path planning methods reveals that the contour method achieves superior fiber volume fractions in curved thin-walled structures. Three cases involving optimized design, CFRC-AM, and μCT inspection confirms the proposed framework. The synergy between geometric continuous design and defect-controlled manufacturing advances the development of high-performance CFRC aerospace components.
KW - Continuity
KW - Continuous fiber-reinforced composites additive manufacturing
KW - Defect characterization
KW - Thin-walled structure with honeycomb-stiffener
KW - Topology optimization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105004260640&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.matdes.2025.114000
DO - 10.1016/j.matdes.2025.114000
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105004260640
SN - 0264-1275
VL - 254
JO - Materials and Design
JF - Materials and Design
M1 - 114000
ER -