ANSYS Simulation of the Thermomechanical Behavior of a Large-Sized Composite Mandrel with Consideration of Viscoelasticity

Abstract

The article addresses the modeling of the process of manufacturing a large-sized shell, given the thermomechanical behavior and viscoelasticity of the composite mandrel. The results of the experimental identification of viscoelasticity parameters of the examined material are presented. A numerical algorithm for adapting the experimental data for the ANSYS Mechanical APDL finite element analysis package is proposed. A Prony series expansion of the relaxation kernel is used as a model for describing the material behavior. The effect of temperature on the rate of relaxation processes is taken into account through the application of a temperature-time analogy according to the Williams–Landel–Ferry formula. The selected model with the calculated parameters was implanted into the commercial package of ANSYS Mechanical APDL. Simulation of two process steps of manufacturing a large-sized product was performed: winding and heat treatment of the shell. For this purpose, the quasistatic problem of mechanics and unsteady thermal conduction under conditions of convective heat transfer were solved by the finite element method. The influence of thermomechanical behavior of the mandrel material on the normal pressure acting on the mandrel surface as a function of temperature and force factors was estimated quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found that with respect to the nonlinear behavior of the composite material, the pressure level decreases by 50% compared to the case of using models of elastic behavior. This result justifies the importance of using complex models of material behavior in studying long-term technological processes, especially those associated with high-temperature effects.