Investigation into a new technique for fabricating composite joints

摘要

Conventional fiberglass composite construction has dominated the recreational boating indsutry for the past four decades. However, the U.S. ship building industry traditionally has used steel and aluminum construction. Recently, it has started incorporating composites in new ship construction and replacing metallic parts with composite ones in existing ships. Advantages of composite construction include reductions in total life cycle costs, high strength- and stiffness-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance, and improved stealth characteristics for naval applications. However, composite construction projects typically have higher fabrication costs compared to similar steel construction projects. One area of high costs is associated with current joining methods. Composite structural elements used in marine applications are joined typically by adhesive bonding. Adhesive structural joints usually are formed using a three-step, labor-intensive process and often require clamping overnight while the adhesive cures. An improved joining technique is needed in order to reduce these higher labor costs.