FURI | Spring 2021

Determine Failure Mode and Bending Load Capacity of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composite Square Tubes for Design of Support Structure of Small UAS (Unmanned Aerial System)

Research was performed on the failure modes and governing equations for composite materials under tension and compression in the areas of local panel buckling, shear stress, compressive yield stress, crippling, and tensile yield stress. The research is focused on square tubes used in the main support structure of small UAS (Unmanned Aerial System). Testing was done on a series of different composite tubes to gather data and support theoretical predictions to accurately select the dimensions of the support structure of a small UAS.