Author(s)

S.E. Mouring

Abstract

Conventional fiberglass composite construction has dominated the recreational boating industry for the past four decades. However, the U.S. ship building industry traditionally has used steel and aluminum construction. Recently, it has started incorporating composites in new ship construction and replacing metallic parts with composite ones in existing ships. Advantages of composite construction include reductions in total life cycle costs, high strength- and stiffhess-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance, and improved stealth characteristics for naval applications. However, composite construction projects typically have higher fabrication costs compared to similar steel construction projects. One area of high costs is associated with current joining methods. Composite structural elements used in marine applications are joined typically by adhesive bonding. Adhe

Keywords