Case Study: University of California, Irvine improves composite bond testing with Cadence MSC Nastran

University of California, Irvine reduces composite bond testing with Cadence MSC Nastran and detects 37.48% force change

The University of California, Irvine, faced the challenge of detecting substandard "kiss bonds" in adhesive-bonded composite materials, as conventional nondestructive testing methods were ineffective. The high cost and potential for manufacturing errors in creating physical test samples made it difficult to perfect their new quantitative percussion testing method. To solve this, they utilized the Cadence MSC Nastran Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Solver to simulate the percussion testing process.

Cadence's solution allowed UCI researchers to create detailed finite element models of the composite laminates and accurately simulate the impact events. This reduced the reliance on expensive physical testing and eliminated the risk of results being skewed by manufacturing flaws. Using Cadence MSC Nastran, the team successfully validated the simulation's ability to distinguish between well-bonded and kiss-bonded panels, predicting a significant drop in maximum force for defective bonds, and substantially cutting the time and cost required to bring the new inspection technique to widespread use.

University of California, Irvine