Link to Index Page

Buckled corrugated, externally ring stiffened graphite-epoxy cylinder shown in the previous two slides

Photograph supplied by Michael Nemeth, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

From "Buckling test of a 3-meter-diameter corrugated graphite-epoxy ring=stiffened cylinder", NASA Technical Paper 2032, July 1982 by Randall C. Davis

SUMMARY:
A 3-m-diameter by 3-m-long corrugated cylindrical shell with external stiffening rings was tested to failure by buckling. The corrugation geometry for the graphite-epoxy composite cylinder wall was optimized to withstand a compressive load preducing the relatively low maximum load intensity of 157.6 kN/m without buckling. The resulting mass per unit of shell wall area, including stiffening rings and fasteners, was 1.96 kg/m^2. The cylinder test load achievement of 101 per cent of design ultimate demonstrates a substantial mass saving potential over available data for corrugated aluminum shell designs.

Page 64 / 227