High-Fidelity modeling and dynamic analysis of damaged tapered composite structures

The analysis of the effects due to a failure of a structural component is of primary interest in the design of aerospace structures. The damages in a structure affect the displacement and stress fields, and the dynamic response can be strongly afflicted too. Free-vibration analyses are performed by an advanced 1-D model to evaluate the modal behavior in a multi-component damaged structure. The present 1-D model, using expansions to evaluate the displacement field over the cross-section, is able to describe complex geometries without approximations. Moreover, it can modify the material proprieties, then the stiffness, at the local level. In this way, a high fidelity description of a damaged structure can be achieved. The results show the capability of the present model to deal with this topic making him a good candidate for a design processing tool.