Haley Center 2370

Topic: Open-Architecture Composite Structures and You

Abstract:

Exhibiting a strength-to-weight ratio far surpassing structural elements such as carbon steels or aluminum, composite macrostructures are ideally suited for weight-conscious industries such as aerospace structures, ship building, and high altitude projects, to name a few. Open-Architecture Composite Structures(O-ACS) are the most recent advancement in the filament winding manufacturing technique. Filament winding itself has been performed by millennia, but the advent of resin pre-impregnation of carbon fibers before winding and curing has created a new, useful tool for advanced design engineers. O-ACS have been discovered by the military in the last 5 years as an innovative way to reduce the weight of soldier necessities while maintaining component strength and quality. High-quality filament wound structures are soon to be applied in nautical, aerospace, ballistic, automotive, and energy capture systems. So how are they made?

Bio:

Michael Halvorson graduated with Honors from Auburn University in December 2017 with degrees in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Mechanical Engineering while working in the Smart Materials, Actuators, Sensors and Hardware Laboratory(SMASHLab) on characterizing flow fields around three dimensional filament wound structures using Particle Image Velocimetry.