Outfitting Attachment Systems For Composite Sandwich Structure (MSC P1B16-116)

An engineering team consisting of Materials Sciences Corporation and the University of Mississippi proposes to use detailed stress analysis and automated optimization techniques to devise novel fasteners that may be used to attach outfitting items tocomposite sandwich structures. The planned fasteners will be bonded to the core to avoid peeling off the facesheet of a sandwich. A key element of the concept is the use of stress analysis to determine a fastener profile that minimizes stressconcentrations, and thus improves the load carrying capacity of the fastener.Completion of this project will result in improved, low-cost outfitting systems suitable for future Navy ships that use sandwich construction. The same technology is directlyapplicable to commercial uses of composite sandwich construction, including marine vessels, buses, and train cars. The system has greater load carrying capacity than current attachment systems, and the ultimate failure modes are more benign than have beenobserved with current systems.