Laminated composite shell structure having improved thermoplastic properties and method for its fabrication

摘要

A laminated composite shell structure having quasi-isotropic thermal expansion and contraction characteristics and a method for its fabrication. The laminated composite shell structure includes multiple layers of overlapping strips of composite material conforming to an axisymmetric doubly-curved surface. The fibers in the multiple layers are arranged at different relative angular orientations, with the composite strips being shaped to maintain the fibers at a constant relative angular orientation throughout the shell structure.