Experimental characterization and modal analysis for woven composite high aspect ratio beam

Abstract

Abstract In modern engineering applications such as aerial vehicles, composite structures are widely implemented due to their high structural stiffness and very low weight-to-lift ratio. They also enable designers to control their mechanical properties as well as the manufacturing method and fabrication quality to achieve the required structural performance. However, various manufacturing methods and the fabrication process can be considered production imperfections. In this study, an assessment of the fabrication quality for a typical composite structure is implemented. As considered for airplane wings and helicopter blades, a high aspect ratio structure is implemented as a case study. This structure is composed of laminated woven carbon fiber/epoxy resin fabricated using the vacuum bagging production method. To characterize the mechanical properties of the proposed structure, a mechanical tensile test is carried out. An experimental modal analysis via roving hammer test is implemented to examine the dynamic behavior of the proposed structure. To assess the quality of manufacturing and fabrication quality, the obtained natural frequencies are compared with the ones computed using a numerical technique using the Finite Element Method (FEM). The analytical problem using MATLAB had been established to emphasize the experimental results. Results showed that good manufacturing quality is achieved by using the vacuum bagging production method. Also, the experimental results agree well with both the numerical and theoretical results, Which indicates good manufacturing quality.