A multi-scale approach for characterizing the mechanical behavior of pin-reinforced composite sandwich structures with Digital Image Correlation.

摘要

In the last 10 years, pin-reinforced composite sandwich structures have become an interesting research topic in aerospace and naval engineering because of their low weight and high compressive properties. Current models lack rigorous physical understanding of the mechanics of these structures and do not accurately predict their performance. This hybrid numerical-experimental research approach investigates the compressive and flexural mechanical behavior of these materials and also characterizes and models the mechanical response in the form of full-field displacements and strains using Digital Image Correlation (DIC).;This thesis establishes an experimental mechanics characterization approach spanning several length scales, including: single pins, representative volume elements, contoured beams, and cylindrical shells with 6" radius of curvature. The previously assumed deformation response of pins within the composite was substantiated with 2D and 3D DIC and extrapolated to the macroscale for both straight and contoured composites.