Parametric based design of CFRP honeycomb sandwich cylinder for a spacecraft

This paper presents a new simple parameter based design method for designing a CFRP honeycomb sandwich cylinder for spacecraft applications. The parameters that constitute the design are aspect ratio, ply orientation, ply sequence, number of plies and effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the sandwich construction. A detailed design and analysis is carried out by simulating the loads and subsystems as lumped masses on the cylinder. A detailed study of various parameters and its effects towards optimal design for given dynamic and static constraints is presented well. This is very much helpful for easy understanding of significant parameters and its consequences for optimum design of CFRP honeycomb sandwich cylinder. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.