Prediction method for curing deformation of conical C-shaped shell of fiber reinforced composite

The shape of fiber-reinforced composite work-piece cured in autoclave usually deviates from the original design after demoulding, which influences the product quality. In order to study the cure deformation law of curved parts, the geometry of conical C-shaped shell was described by only five parameters: generatrix length, radius at half height, center angle, half apex angle and shell thickness. Based on the virtual work principle and small deformation hypothesis, the analytic solution of the cure deformation caused by the temperature drop in the curing process was deduced. It is revealed that after curing, the thickness, half-height radius, generatrix length and apex angle decrease, while the center angle of the arc increases. Compared with the finite element simulation orthogonal test, which validates the analytical solution. A simplified scheme of finite element curing simulation by use of the path-dependent constitutive law is given. This simplified finite element deformation prediction method can cut the