Structural Optimization of Locally Continuous Fiber-Reinforcements for Short Fiber-Reinforced Plastics

The integration of continuous fiber-reinforced structures into short or long fiber-reinforced plastics allows a significant increase in stiffness and strength. In order to make the best possible use of the high stiffness and strength of continuous fiber-reinforcements, they must be placed in the direction of load in the most stressed areas. A frequently used tool for identifying the most heavily loaded areas is topology optimization. Commercial topology optimization programs usually do not take into account the material properties associated with continuous fiber-reinforced hybrid structures. The anisotropy of the reinforcing material and the stiffness of the base material surrounding the reinforcement are not considered during topology optimization, but only in subsequent steps. Therefore in this publication, existing optimization methods for hybrid and anisotropic materials are combined to a new approach, which takes into account both the anisotropy of the continuous fiber-reinforcement and the stiffness of the base material. The results of the example calculations not only show an increased stiffness at the same material input but also a simplification of the resulting reinforcement structures, which allows more economical manufacturing.