Advances in finite element analysis for anisotropic composites

Continuous Composites, which recently secured multi-million-dollar funding from the US Air Force to advance the development of high-performance materials using its CF3D® technology, has also been awarded a $1.9 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract from the US Air Force. This latest contract, which began in November 2024, involves the development of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software for Continuous Fibre 3D Printing (CF3D).

CF3D composites are anisotropic, meaning that their directional strength depends on the orientation of the fibres. This implies that, unlike isotropic materials such as metals, strength and stress response are not uniform in all directions. Current FEA software solutions are not suitable for anisotropic composites.

This Continuous Composites project therefore represents a significant advance in the simulation of this type of composite. To achieve this, Continuous Composites has partnered with industry experts to develop this new FEA tool. This tool should enable CF3D trajectory data to be retrieved in order to generate meshed representations that more accurately reflect fibre orientation, material behaviour and the structural performance of anisotropic parts under real loads

The new tool used in another project

As part of this project, Continuous Composites will integrate the new tool into its CF3D Studio™ software, which combines design, simulation and manufacturing, in order to predict the properties and performance of materials before physical testing begins. The company aims to reduce development time and make the design of complex composite parts used in critical applications more reliable.

Although still in its early stages, the FEA tool for anisotropic composites is being used to facilitate the progress of the US Army’s $2 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, which Continuous Composites also obtained from the US Air Force in collaboration with Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company. The goal of the project is to develop next-generation fuselage structures for launch effects. The Continuous Composites tool will integrate Aurora’s critical flight load data and geometric designs to optimise the structural integrity of the developed fuselage structures.

The TACFI contract, worth US$1.9 million and running until August 2026, represents a major step forward in the simulation of lightweight, high-performance composite parts, highlights Continuous Composites, with potential applications in the aerospace, defence and drone sectors.

“We’re solving a major gap in FEA simulation tools,” said Steve Starner, CEO of Continuous Composites. “Existing software only assigns a single directional property to each layer of composite material, but CF3D’s fibre steering requires a more dynamic approach. Our new tool will accurately simulate how our parts will behave under various conditions, which is crucial for industries like aerospace and defence.”