Manufacturing of Composite Grid Structures.

Composite grid structures can be made to possess outstanding structural properties which can exceed those of laminated and sandwich construction. The superior performance is achieved by avoiding micro-cracking and delamination failures common in the conventional composite structures. The manufacturing processes of grid structures, however, are not available. The goal of the program is to devise novel, automated processes so that cost-effective composite grids can be made. Two general approaches are outlined in this report viz., TRIG and stacked joint grids. A unique feature of our invention is that these grids can be made using filament winding and pultrusion, two of the most developed processes readily available.