Towards a mechanical characterization of manufacturing defects of thermoplastic composites
Résumé
In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of an inverse technique based on the buckling response for the mechanical characterization of manufacturing flaws of long fibre thermoplastic composites. Buckling tests are chosen because of their strong sensitivity to defects. An approach based on the Southwell plot is introduced to distinguish between global "geometric" flaws (such an initial curvature or a defect on the applied boundary conditions) and local "material" flaws (such as fibre misalignments, the defect considered here). Preliminary numerical and experimental tests are carried out and the measured and predicted critical loads are successfully compared. The development of a full inverse approach for defect characterization is in progress.