Composite cylinder design software

Cylinder Analysis....Design on the Fly....

A typical flowchart of designing a cylinder involves knowing the design loads, end attachments, as well as handling and environmental conditions. An engineer who knows how to determine the internal stresses and strains of this cylinder can churn out numbers using anything from a simple analytical solution for an isotropic cylinder to a full 3D finite element solution for a composite hybrid cylinder wound under tension which undergoes curing during manufacture.

• Composite Tube Design
• Material Systems : Fiber/Matrix Selection
• Composite thickness and stacking sequence.
• Barrel dimensions, ply drops.
• Autofrettage of bore.
• Scalability and affordability.
• Loading Conditions:
• Pressure Loading
• Firing Temperatures
• Dynamic strains
• Winding Tension
• Axial Loading

Although each method works, the simple solution is limited in optimal design and material selection and the full 3D solution is time consuming and requires a good working knowledge of FEA packages such as ABACUS and ANSYS. Utilizing a hybrid composite material wound under tension which undergoes curing and transient heating can test even a full 3D simulation as each layer must be individually modeled. This process is even more time consuming when designing a composite cylinder where fiber, resin, stacking sequence, wind angles, and potentially winding tension are all design variables. The best solution often involves guesswork in determining the optimal materials and lay up to achieve minimal weight while still providing adequate stiffness and strength.