Fiber Path Optimization for Strength Enhancement and Damage Control in Open‐Hole Fiber‐Reinforced Laminates

ABSTRACT Three‐dimensional printing of continuous fiber‐reinforced polymers allows fibers to reinforce polymer structures along nearly arbitrary paths. This paper innovatively proposes an algorithm for directly optimizing fiber paths and applies this algorithm to design and test the fracture behavior of carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer open‐hole tension (OHT) specimens. The influence of the number of fiber bundles on mechanical properties was considered during the experiments, and OHT specimens with different numbers of fiber bundles were optimized and tested. Experimental results indicate that even a small number of fiber bundles can significantly alter the internal stress transmission paths within the polymer structure, reducing stress concentration. Additionally, experiments on OHT specimens demonstrate that by precisely controlling the number of fiber bundles, it is possible to achieve effective control over damage modes and fracture behavior.