Simulation and Structural Optimization Design of Thermal-Mechanical Coupling Performance of Supporting Components

Abstract

This research aims to develop a high-performance composite material support component that meets extreme performance requirements. It is used to solve the problem of protecting critical electronic control units (ECUs) and flight data recorders in aerospace and automotive safety systems under harsh combined conditions of high temperature and high shock. Its internal dimensions are 0.14 m × 0.08 m × 0.08 m. In addition, it is required to withstand a constant temperature of 65°C for 3600 seconds, with the internal core temperature not exceeding 35°C. It can withstand a static load of 1.8 kg and a transient impact acceleration of 1400 G. The dual-layer composite structure based on functional decomposition solves the problems of thermal insulation and load-bearing/impact resistance. The inner layer uses ultra-low thermal conductivity aerogel to form a thermal barrier. The outer layer is a load-bearing frame made of high-strength/high-modulus quartz fiber reinforced epoxy composite material. The study employs a systematic numerical simulation method to verify the optimized design parameters. The results show that the internal temperature remained stable at 34.173°C. The outer layer deforms only at the micrometer level under static load. The inner layer is under zero load and there is no distortion in the internal space. The integrated design method of “material-function-structure-simulation” proposed in this paper provides a research approach for the survivability design of mechanical structures of new-generation aircraft and ground vehicles under complex multiphysics constraints.