Effects of fibre misalignment on the stability of double-curved composites

In the context of developing a novel technology for the automated production of continuously draped preforms, the effects of fibre misalignment on the stability of double-curved, unidirectional plies are investigated. The critical buckling stress as well as correlations with geometric parameters are analysed numerically using a parametric finite element model. For this purpose, a test program is conducted comprising various geometric configurations. The results provide a foundation for extending the investigation to laminates and indicate significant dependencies of the critical buckling stress on the curvature, length-to-thickness ratio and fibre angle.