Effects of Manufacturing-induced Residual Stress on the Strength of an L-Shaped Textile Composite Flange

Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC) use is increasing in several industries due to their attractiveness relative to weight savings. Fabrication of this material system type requires a cure cycle, performed at elevated temperatures, that induces residual stresses at post-cure due to significant mismatch of fiber and matrix material properties. An integrated has been developed encompassing heat transfer analysis, a viscoelastic constitutive law, and cure kinetics to predict the residual stress distribution and corresponding geometric change after demolding. This paper summarizes efforts performed toward enhanced understanding of these residual thermal stress effects on the delamination type of failure for an angled composite flange under 4-point bending. This study paves the way for fully coupling the composite manufacturing process with structural performance through an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) framework.