An investigation of the influence of a fiber arrangement of a laminate on the values of stresses in the composite panel of a modified freight wagon using the FEM method

Institute of Engineering Processes Automation and Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18a, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

^* Corresponding author: krzysztof.herbus@polsl.pl

Abstract

In the work is presented the investigation of influence of fiber arrangement of a laminate on the values of stresses in the composite panel of a modified freight wagon using the FEM method. The conducted investigations concerned the reduced part of a side panel of a freight wagon. On this panel were mounted the tested composite panels. For this purpose, a special screw connection with a blind rivet nut was used. The first stage of works included manufacturing of a composite material consisting of four layers of a laminate. Each layer of the laminate is a composition of epoxy resin and carbon fibers with a plain weave in which fibers strands are woven at the angle of 90°. In the next step it was changed the main angle of placement of fibers in all layers of the laminate. Wherein, all layers of the laminate were characterized with the same angle of fibers with respect to the global coordinate system used in the numerical test. As a result of the study it was observed the relationship between the main angle of fibers of the composite material and the values of stresses occurring in the composite plate.