Publication: Comparative study on structural performance of panel (secondary structure) using metallic and composite material
Date
2009-04-01
Authors
Lee, Shih Yung
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Abstract
The objectives of this thesis are to carry out comparative study on the structural performance of panel (secondary structure) using metallic and composite materials, comparing the performance of metallic and composite materials through finite element analysis, i.e. modal analysis and conceptual analysis, i.e. the Ashby method. The properties of metallic and composite materials are obtained from a series of handbooks and reference books. When practicing FEA on both metallic and composite materials, MSC Nastran workshop is referred. In FEA, comparison is made between aluminium, steel, titanium (metallic materials) and Kevlar 49 – epoxy, graphite – epoxy, carbon – epoxy (composite materials). Characteristic of those materials is studied through determining the natural frequencies. For the Ashby method, structural performance based on reliability and durability is studied in metallic materials (aluminium and titanium) and composite materials (GFRP and CFRP). Besides, structural performance of sandwich structure is also discussed. The results show that composite materials have better structural performance than metallic materials. Characteristics of the materials are studied through comparing properties namely, strength, elastic modulus, stiffness, density, fatigue, and corrosion. The results are similar to the trend of aviation industry which nowadays has increasingly used composite materials rather than metallic materials for optimized structural performance.