Design for Composites
Thickness transitions and ply drops
Loads should transfer through gradual, staggered thickness changes rather than abrupt steps or coincident terminations.
In simple terms
Loads should transfer through gradual, staggered thickness changes rather than abrupt steps or coincident terminations.
Best for
Tapers, pad-ups, run-outs and sandwich transitions.
Watch out for
Spacing and taper are load-, material- and qualification-specific.
Typical applications
Wing skins, blades, beams and local reinforcements.
Related tools
Use the calculators to turn these concepts into preliminary engineering estimates.