The optimization of a natural composite I-beam for 2017 SAMPE miniature bridge competition
Speaker: Evan Armanetti
Faculty Sponsor: Ronald B Bucinell, Ph.D , P.E.
Natural composites are beginning to emerge as a viable building material for large-scale infrastructure. Natural composites have some distinct advantages over conventional building materials such as steel; namely due to their environmental impact, strength to weight ratio and resistance to fatigue failures. A natural composite beam is completely biodegradable as opposed to steel that requires considerable energy to recycle. The Natural composite has a higher strength to weight ration than its metal counterparts. Lastly, the self-reinforcing nature of composite laminates leaves them far less susceptible to common failure modes, such as crack propagation. Collectively these advantages have the propensity to promote natural composites for large-scale building applications.
The complex nature of composite materials makes predicting mechanical behavior harder than with conventional metals. If understood these complexities allow an engineer to modify a composite laminate to fit a specific design constraint. This means that composite laminates allow optimizations that would not otherwise be impossible. Two terms of research, and a graduate level course on composites, has allowed me insight into some of the design and fabrication considerations that go into manufacturing a successful composite structure. This project culminates with the sustainable composite beam designed for this project being entered into the international SAMPE Beam competition.