Parametric shape optimization of biaxial tensile specimen

Abstract

Common cruciform specimen for biaxial tensile testing of sheet moulding compound, take damage and finally fail in uniaxially loaded areas. When using these specimen, an observation of damage initialization and failure in biaxially loaded areas is, therefore, not possible. In this paper, a parametric shape optimization is described to find a more suitable specimen shape. The parametrization of the specimen is presented. Objective functions are introduced to measure the appropriateness of specimen. A weighted summation transfers the constraint multiobjective optimization problem into a constraint scalar‐valued problem. Findings of experiments suggest that a specimen shape with straight, non‐tapering arms and slits along the arms is reasonable. (© 2016 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)