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The Composite Materials Handbook |
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Building Block Guidelines Task Group
When composites are to be used in structural components, a design development program is generally initiated during which the performance of the structure is assessed prior to use. This process of sub-stantiating the structural performance and durability of composite components generally consists of a complex mix of testing and analysis. Testing alone can be prohibitively expensive because of the number of specimens needed to verify every geometry, loading, environment, and failure mode. Analysis techniques alone are usually not sophisticated enough to adequately predict results under every set of conditions. By combining testing and analysis, analytical predictions are verified by test, test plans are guided by analysis, and the cost of the overall effort is reduced while reliability is increased. An extension of this synergistic analysis/test approach is to conduct analysis and associated tests at various levels of structural complexity, often beginning with small specimens and progressing through structural elements and details, sub-components, components, and finally the complete full scale product. Each level builds on knowledge gained at previous, less complex levels. This substantiation process, using both testing and analysis in a program of increasingly complex levels, has become known as the "Building Block" approach.
Chair
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Dr. Crystal Newton University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials 201 CMSL Newark, DE 19716 Tel: 302-831-1017 Fax: 302-831-8525 Email: newton@ccm.udel.edu |