During the manufacturing process, problems such as internal stresses and void formation can occur during resin polymerisation, which can degrade the performance of composite structures. This paper presents a multi-scale computational strategy for numerically predicting the residual stresses and void formation in composite laminates and general composite structures using the finite element method, which combines experimentally measurable properties of fibre and matrix components.
A model has been developed in ANSYS to estimate the effective residual stress and void content of the composite from the micro (RVE scale) to the meso (lamina scale) to the macro (laminate) scale. The microstructure and known fibre and matrix properties are used as inputs.
In the paper investigated was the effect of temperature and resin degree of cure on the analysed composite's residual stress and void formation problem. Finally, the effect of compaction on eliminating voids in the composite was also analysed. The macroscale analysis of residual stresses and voids can be successfully performed using the developed multiscale model.