Theses and Dissertations
Advisor
Sullivan, Rani W.
Committee Member
Belk, Davy M.
Committee Member
Hammi, Youssef
Date of Degree
5-10-2024
Original embargo terms
Embargo 1 year
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Aerospace Engineering
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
Department
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Abstract
Lightweight sandwich composite structures exhibit high strength and bending stiffness and have been used in various load-bearing aerospace structures. A primary weakness of these structures is the low interfacial strength that can result in the disbonding between the facesheet and the core. Through-thickness reinforcement techniques, such as stitching, can be utilized to improve the interfacial strength of sandwich composites. This study focuses on fabrication and structural testing of stitched sandwich composite main landing gear (MLG) strut doors. The MLG strut doors are constructed from carbon fiber non-crimp fabric facesheets and closed-cell foam core that are stitched using a modified lock stitching technique. To assess the effects of stitching, two doors were fabricated, one with and one without through-the-foam stitching. A vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process was used to infuse the doors. The strut doors were subjected to quasi-static loading, and the mechanical responses of the stitched and unstitched strut doors are presented.
Recommended Citation
Dimitroff, Mary, "Fabrication and testing of a stitched sandwich composite main landing gear door" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 6100.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6100