About the course

Driven by advantages in structural efficiency, performance, versatility and cost, composites are increasingly applied in a variety of industries. However, in spite of decades of application and research, their failure process and long-term behaviour are still not fully understood.

This course aims to provide the fundamental knowledge for the fatigue and failure analysis of composite structures, illustrate the synergy and the complexity of the different damage mechanisms, how these mechanisms affect the structural integrity and demonstrate the importance of combining computational mechanics with experiments.

After completing the course participants will be able to:

  • understand and analyze the fundamentals of the failure process
  • illustrate how computational mechanics provide insight in the failure analysis
  • discuss and challenge the state-of-the-art methodologies for fatigue analysis of composite structures
  • compare and select in-situ monitoring techniques 

 

 

 

This course is aimed for young researchers (PhD’s and PostDoc’s) who want to become independent scientists developing their research in the field of fatigue and failure analysis of composite structures. The attendants are expected to have the basic knowledge of mechanics of composite structures, basic use of finite element method (any software) and familiar with experimental mechanics.

During the course, the attendants should expect interactive lectures consisting of classroom activities and concept exercises. A special ‘meet-your-lecture’ session will take place where the attendants will consult the lecturers about their research topics. 

Two workshops will be organized where the attendants will design and execute fatigue tests, use in-situ monitoring techniques and perform failure analysis using state-of-the-art equipment. The workshops will take place in the Aerospace Structures & Materials Laboratory. 

We will provide 3 scholarships to 3 applicants and cover their registration fees. The attendants are welcome to submit their CVs and a motivation letter to Dr. Dimitrios Zarouchas (d.zarouchas@tudelft.nl), addressing the relevance of their research to the content of the course. A committee will assess their applications.

All attendants will receive a certificate of attendance.