The first step in designing anything with composites is to perform materials tests in order to validate the manufacturing processes. Until we validate all of the mechanical properties of the materials we work with, we have no idea what appropriate loading parameters are, and there is no way to proceed safely with the design.
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- Bending strength of the panels Used to verify the manufacturer's specs.
- Maximum tensile force a glue joint can withstand per unit length
- Maximum bending moment a glue joint can withstand per unit length
- The in-plane pullout strength for bracket inserts in the composite
- The normal plane pullout strength for the bracket inserts in the composite
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The sandwich panels that we will use are up for discussion.
Materials:
Material | Quantity | Source |
---|---|---|
Nida-core H8PP 13mm (1/2") 4' x 7' | 1 | https://shop.compositescanada.com/#/product/NC-H8PP-0500 |
Gurit Prepreg Woven Carbon SE84LV/RC660T/1270/43.5+/-3%/2dp | 1 | https://shop.compositescanada.com/#/product/CCGPC13-4849-SQM |
Gurit PREPREG UNI CARBON SE84LV/IMC/150/400/37%/SA80/300G (L | 1 | https://shop.compositescanada.com/#/product/CCGPC53-6179-LY |
Nomex Honeycomb Core 0.460" x 50" x 100" ◾ 3.0 LB/ft^3 (Rock West) | PN2 honeycomb.pdf | https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/nomex-honeycomb-series |
Aerospace Grade Nomex Honeycomb Cores (CA Composites Ltd.) | Aerospace-Grade-Nomex-Honeycomb-Cores.pdf | https://cacomposites.com/core-materials/nomex-honeycomb-core/ |
Woven Epoxy Carbon Laminating Prepreg AX-5201XL (Axiom Materials) | AX5201XL.pdf | http://www.axiommaterials.com/products/prepregs |
Procedure:
- Cut the nomex Nomex core into a rectangular sheet
- Layer the prepreg on the core as follows
- 1 layer of fiberglass scrim cloth (to ensure that it bonds with the core)
- 1 woven carbon sheet running at 0 degrees and 90 degrees
- 1 unidirectional carbon running at 45 degrees
- 1 unidirectional carbon running at -45 degrees
- 1 woven carbon sheet running at 0 degrees and 90 degrees
- 1 unidirectional carbon running at 45 degrees
- 1 unidirectional carbon running at -45 degrees
- repeat for the other side
- Cure the prepreg by putting it in an autoclave or an oven
Youtube Reference: Carbon Fiber Prepreg With Nomex Honeycomb Core (Spacegrade)
Bending strength of the panels Used to verify the manufacturer's specs
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