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New Robust DESIgn Guideline for Imperfection Sensitive COmposite Launcher Structures

Objective

"European Space industry demand for lighter and cheaper launcher transport systems. The proposed project DESICOS contributes to these aims by a new design approach for imperfection sensitive composite launcher structures, exploiting the worst imperfection idea efficiently: the Single Perturbation Load Approach. Currently, imperfection sensitive shell structures prone to buckling are designed according the NASA SP 8007 guideline using the conservative lower bound curve. The guideline dates from 1968, and the structural behaviour of composite material is not considered appropriately, in particular since the imperfection sensitivity of shells made from such materials depends on the lay-up design. The buckling loads of CFRP structures may vary by a factor of about 3 just by changing the lay-up. This is not considered in the NASA SP 8007, which allows designing only so called ""black metal"" structures. Here is a high need for a new precise and fast design approach for imperfection sensitive composite structures which allows significant reduction of structural weight and design cost. For most relevant architectures of cylindrical and conical launcher structures (monolithic, sandwich, isogrid - without and with holes) DESICOS will investigate a combined methodology from the Single Perturbation Load approach and a specific stochastic approach which guarantees an effective and robust design. A recent investigation demonstrated, that an axially loaded unstiffened cylinder, which is disturbed by a large enough single perturbation load, is leading directly to the design buckling load 45% higher compared with the respective NASA SP 8007 design. All results will be summarized in a handbook for the design of imperfection sensitive composite structures. The potential will be demonstrated within different industrially driven use cases."

Call for proposal

FP7-SPACE-2011-1
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Coordinator

DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV
Address
Linder Hohe
51147 Koln
Germany

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Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Felicitas Kutz (Mrs.)
EU contribution
€ 442 700

Participants (11)

AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
France
EU contribution
€ 150 000
Address
31 Rue Des Cosmonautes Zi Du Palays
31402 Toulouse Cedex

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Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Andreas Rittweger (Dr.)
AIRBUS DS GMBH
Germany
EU contribution
€ 150 000
Address
Robert Koch Strasse 1
82024 Taufkirchen

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Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Jesus Gomez Garcia (Mr.)
GRIPHUS AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING LTD
Israel
EU contribution
€ 100 000
Address
Ha Brosh 15
76804 Mazkeret Batya

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Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Avi Wieder (Mr.)
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Netherlands
EU contribution
€ 187 500
Address
Stevinweg 1
2628 CN Delft

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Martin Hoekstra (Mr.)
GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ UNIVERSITAET HANNOVER
Germany
EU contribution
€ 112 500
Address
Welfengarten 1
30167 Hannover

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Raimund Rolfes (Prof.)
GESELLSCHAFT FÜR PRAXISBEZOGENE FORSCHUNG UND WISSENSCHAFTLICHE LEHRE GGMBH
Germany
EU contribution
€ 150 000
Address
Weender Landstrasse 3-7
37073 Goettingen

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Richard Degenhardt (Prof.)
POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Italy
EU contribution
€ 202 500
Address
Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32
20133 Milano

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Fulvio Mongilardi (Mr.)
RIGAS TEHNISKA UNIVERSITATE
Latvia
EU contribution
€ 150 000
Address
Kipsalas Iela 6a
1048 Riga

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Kaspars Kalnins (Dr.)
RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN
Germany
EU contribution
€ 150 000
Address
Templergraben 55
52062 Aachen

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Ernst Schmachtenberg (Prof.)
TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Israel
EU contribution
€ 202 500
Address
Senate Building Technion City
32000 Haifa

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Jack Lavan (Prof.)
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE FOR ADVANCED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES LIMITED
Australia
Address
Lorimer Street Fishermans Bend 506
3207 Port Melbourne Victoria

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Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Murray Scott (Prof.)