Finite element modelling as a design tool of pull-wound carbon-epoxy structural profiles

A numerical design procedure able to characterize the performance of pull-wound carbon fiber reinforced structural poles is presented. To this aim a finite element (FE) analysis of the studied structural elements has been performed, in the elastic regime, with a standard FE code. The most significant elastic parameters of the material has been experimentally determined. In particular the numerical model has been first calibrated and then validated by performing both numerically and experimentally the same mechanical testing on different sets of pole prototypes. The proposed model appears to be applicable to analyze analogous structural elements, i.e. elements made of the same material but having different geometrical dimensions and slightly different shapes and it certainly represents an effective design tool when different loading conditions have to be considered.