Mechanics and Design of Structures

The research is focused upon application, design, analysis and manufacturing of lightweight composite and sandwich structures covering the span from spacecraft structures and components to maritime applications. In addition, the group conducts research concerning lightweight structures composed of other materials including aluminium and steel. Fibre reinforced polymers and sandwich materials are well accepted for structural applications where properties such as maximum stiffness to weight, maximum strength to weight, dimensional stability and corrosion resistance are important design requirements. The use of such materials has been initiated and furthered by the demands posed by the aerospace industry, but the use of composite and sandwich materials has been vigorously expanded for many other structural applications as well. Despite the fact that the use of composite and sandwich structures has increased tremendously for a variety of industrial applications, there are still a number of aspects concerning the behaviour and performance of composite and sandwich structures that are not fully understood. Examples of this are areas of structural and load discontinuities, joints, non-linear effects, dynamic behaviour and finally the link between manufacturing processes and mechanical performance. Consequently, there is a great need for the development of improved analysis and design tools. The main focus of the research encompasses the following areas: