SBIR Phase I: Functionally Gradient Partial Insert Development for Thin-Skin Sandwich Composite Structures

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种创新系统，用于可靠且廉价地将中型到重型设备连接到薄皮复合材料夹层结构上。这将通过专有的金属泡沫（专利申请）和具有功能梯度刚度的聚合物部分插入来实现。这与夹心材料的刚度不同，是设定为承载设备所需的刚度和强度。通过改变插入的刚度从低到高，它将有可能承载设备的重量而不损坏聚氯乙烯（PVC）核心材料。具有不同密度和刚度的金属泡沫和聚合物复合材料的插入将通过专利挤出，自由形状制造技术制造。由于材料的低密度，少于一或两磅的附件材料将是一个复合附件系统的足够的体积。因此，与传统的夹层复合材料结构相比，附着系统的材料成本将会很小。潜在的应用预计将用于制造商业运输车辆，例如公共汽车、火车、小型飞机和飞机。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop an innovative system for reliably and inexpensively attaching medium- to heavy-weight equipment to thin-skin composite sandwich structures. This will be accomplished with proprietary metallic foam (patent applied) and polymeric partial inserts with functionally graded stiffness. This is different from the stiffness of the sandwich material and is set to the stiffness and strength required to carry the equipment. By varying the stiffness of the insert from low to high, it will be possible to carry the weight of the equipment without damaging the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) core material. Inserts of metal foam and polymer composite with varying density and stiffness will be fabricated by a patented extrusion, free-form fabrication technology. Due to the materials low density, less than one or two pounds of the attachment material will be of adequate volume for a composite attachment system. Thus, the material cost of the attachment system will be small relative to the cost of a traditional sandwich composite structure.Potential applications are anticipated in manufacture of vehicles for commercial transportation, e.g., buses, trains, small crafts, and aircrafts.