Design and manufacturing of interlocked composite grids

Composite grid structures made from pultruded unidirectional glass or carbon ribs provide unmatched performance/cost combination of any composite panels. A new manufacturing method for an ortho-grid using slotted joint and adhesive bonding (“Interlocked Composite Grid” or ICG) has been developed. The high structural performance of the grid is derived from uni-plies and the efficient load transfer mechanism. Pultrusion is one of the cheapest, fastest and reliable manufacturing processes for composite sections. Pultruded ribs, along with the simple assembly concept, lead to the low cost structure. Also, the flexibility in assembly eliminates the size limitation and large civil composite structures can be built.; Two different equivalent stiffness models, the equivalent plate stiffness matrices and the equivalent engineering constants, have been formulated. The former model, more accurate than the equivalent engineering constants, includes the effects of the slots, the internal ribs, and the skins. The latter is used for establishing simple design guidelines. The equivalent stiffness models have been verified with numerical analysis and experimental data. The simplicity and flexibility of the design of an ICG has been demonstrated by sample design problems. Also, an approximate cost estimation rule has been established.; ICG beams and panels have been built and tested under static and dynamic flexural loading. Superior mechanical properties, such as high damage tolerance, resilience, and durability have been demonstrated. The failure mode has been identified.