Recent progresses in lightweight carbon fibre reinforced lattice cylindrical shells

Abstract

Owing to their high strengths and stiffnesses, carbon fibre reinforced composites (CFRC) are widely used in aerospace engineering for lightweight structural designs. The introduction of a wide variety of lattices into composite cylindrical shells is considered one of the most promising strategies for improving the mechanical properties and simultaneously reducing weight. Herein, the configurations and manufacturing methods of three typical types of lattice structures, namely lattice, lattice sandwich, and lattice stiffened shells, are demonstrated. Experimental investigations are presented to discuss the mechanical properties of these cylindrical shells under compression, along with their free vibration characteristics. Further, non-destructive methods, which can identify the mechanical properties and buckling loads of such shells non-destructively, are demonstrated. Moreover, multi-failure theories proposed to predict the failure loads and failure modes are presented. Finally, the development of CFRC lattice cylindrical shells in lightweight designs is summarised.