FöRFATTARE
Sunter, Tom

DATUM
2001-01-05

INSTITUTION
Material- och produktionsteknik / Polymerteknik

SAMMANFATTNING
Sandwich structures are truly advanced materials, utilising different materials to hold specific loads within a composite material. Modern materials specifically fibre-reinforced composites and cellular foams offer numerous effective combinations, combining high specific strength and stiffness.

The mechanical effectiveness of the panels partly led to their selection as the hull material for the Swedish stealth ship. In order to effectively design such a complex component an effective understanding of its materials is required. The project considers the application of the Finite Element Method to these sandwich plates. The method was used for a number of analyses, including, optimization and failure, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach.

An effective understanding of the plate mechanics is necessary for effective design. The FEM approach considered is an effective and common tool in stress analysis. The work shows that carefully used the method is applicable to sandwich structure.

ISSN 1402-1617 / ISRN LTU-EX--01/016--SE / NR 2001:016