Sandwich cylinder

Abstract

This project aims to find a method to fabricate thin walled cylinders and have them tested using the compression test. As there are a few designs that require testing, using expensive and complicated machineries is not possible. Therefore another method that does not require as much cost and can be used for various designs is required. After the material is chosen, we need to conduct tests to find the material properties so calculated results of the buckling properties can be done to be compared with the fabricated product.

The main problem face by the production of thin walled cylinders is the removal of the core that molds the inner walls of the cylinder. Normal method of fabrication requires complex mechanisms to remove the final product from the core. This can be solved by choosing a material that is elastic so that it can be removed without damaging itself. Therefore, the first objective of this project is to find a suitable material for the molding of the cylinders.

The second problem faced is the fabrication of the molds. Due to limitations in the machining capabilities, some parts of the mold design cannot be machined out. To solve this problem we either have to redesign the molds or to find an alternate method to produce the molds without machining.

After the cylinders are fabricated, they are tested using the compression test. The test will allow us to investigate the buckling properties of the different designs and have them compared with each other and with the calculated data.