Design Limits for Carbon Fibre ReinforcedPolymers

Hudson Boat Works in London, Ontario is the only company in Canada that manufactures highperformance
rowing shells. Hudson wishes to employ finite element techniques to optimize the design
of their rowing shells and associated structures using advanced engineering techniques. Optimization
of composite materials design requires a detailed understanding of their mechanical response,
including how they fail. Researchers at Western will focus on studying these failure mechanisms, and
in doing so will generate the material data required for finite element analysis. The fracture surfaces of
Hudson’s single ply materials and sandwich panels will be evaluated using optical and scanning
electron microscopy to characterize the failure mode.
The successful conclusion of this project will provide Hudson with the requisite capabilities to employ
advanced engineering techniques to optimize their composite structures. Furthermore, improved
understanding of failure mechanisms in composite materials is applicable to a wide variety of
industries with requirements for tough, lightweight materials.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jeffrey Wood

Student:

Partner:

Hudson Boat Works

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Western University

Program: