Design, Analysis, Fabrication and Testing of Composite Structures

This two-day course is intended for mechanical and material engineers, as well as, upper-level
undergrads (Junior or senior) and post-graduate engineering students, in the design, analysis,
fabrication and testing of structures composed of composite materials. This may also be a good
course for engineering managers to see the complexity of designing with composite materials. The
topics include: an introduction to composites, preliminary design techniques, closed-form analytic
and numerical modeling, fabrication, and testing of composite structures from case studies in the
Aerospace/Space, Naval, Biomechanics/Biomedical areas.

 What a composite is and why you would use it.
 What a lamina (ply) and laminate are.
 What the [Q], [S], {σ}, {ε} matrices are.
 What the [A], [B] and [D] matrices are.
 Composite nomenclature.
 What failure theories are and how they are used.
 What a laminate code is and how it is used to predict stresses and margins or safety in
laminated and discontinuous composites (discussion includes a good very inexpensive ($
29) laminate code you can purchase online).
 How to design composite enclosure covers that provide for electromagnetic interference
(EMI) shielding and how they compare to metals.
 How to design a structure in composites with a cost equivalent to or less than that of the
same metal structure.
 How to design a structure in composites to further reduce the weight due to
manufacturing techniques that are different from those of metals.
 How to select the type of large composite structure that will most effectively take both in-
plane and out-of-planes loads.
 How to explore through testing composite structures under in-plane and out-of-plane
loads what the types of failure modes are and how you could change them.
 How to experimentally measure and numerically model the buckling load on solid
unstiffened, hat-stiffened and sandwich composite plates (includes a video on buckling
and collapse of a 6’ x 6’ hat-stiffened composite plate).
 How to redesign a composite shroud having both aerodynamic and thermal loads with a
weight and cost less than that of a metal shroud.
 How to prevent “stress shielding” from loosening a bone implant, which results in revision
surgeries and increased costs, by using a composite implant instead of metal.
 How to use analytic techniques to provide a starting point for selection of composite
materials, ply angles and number of plies for the FEM of a large multi-ply (~40-50 layers)
structure (rocket).

• Introduction to Composites
 Description
 Laminas and laminates
 Laminate analysis
 Nomenclature
 Failure theories
 Introduction to a laminate code (The Laminator) and instructions in its use.
• Applications
 Structural design, analysis, and fabrication of an advanced composite aircraft
electronics enclosure to include electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding
protection followed by thermal/structural optimization of the enclosure.
 Redesign of an electro-optical shroud on the underside of an aircraft in continuous-
fiber composites to reduce weight and cost.
 Design, analytic and numerical modeling, fabrication and testing of large
continuous-fiber composite plates for secondary ship structures under in-plane
and out-of-planes loads.
 Structural design, analysis and testing of a random short-fiber composite
intramedullary implant that prevents failure due to stress shielding.
 Preliminary structural analysis techniques in the design of an advanced composite
three-stage rocket to provide an estimate of materials, number of plies, and ply
orientation as the starting point for the FEM of a large structure.

Jack C. Roberts Ph.D., and ASME Fellow specializes in structural analysis & design, composite
materials, and biomedical & biomechanics. Dr. Roberts has worked in industry and university
environments, that include: the University of Michigan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, UMBC
in Baltimore County, the Bendix Corp., Northrup Grumman, and the Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory. He has performed hand structural analysis and finite element
modeling on composite structures in the Aerospace, Naval, Space, biomechanics and biomedical
fields. He has also taught part-time at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of
Maryland-Baltimore County Campus, and The Johns Hopkins University as well as being a
Research Professor in that Department. Dr. Roberts was made an ASME Fellow in 2011 and was
Editor of the Frontiers on-line journal Biomechanics from 2013 to 2016. He has over 115
publications, presentations and proceedings, 16 patents, three book chapters and seven awards
from both industry and universities. Dr, Roberts is now a contractor/consultant in his field.