Hydrodynamic drag testing was conducted for eleven different configurations of IsoTruss® lattice structures. Flow visualization of prototypical IsoTruss® wind towers was also performed using Particle Image Velocimetry instrumentation. The drag test and flow visualization specimens included 6-node and 8-node configurations, single and double-grid geometries, thick and thin member sizes, smooth and rough surface finishes, a helical-only structure, and a smaller outer diameter test specimen. Three sets of hydrodynamic drag tests were conducted in a closed-circuit water tunnel: 1) orientation drag tests, 2) water velocity drag tests, and 3) height variation drag tests. The orientation drag tests measured the hydrodynamic drag force of the IsoTruss® test specimens at five different orientations with an average water velocity of 1.43 mph (0.64 m/s). The water velocity drag tests measured the maximum drag for each IsoTruss® test specimen at water velocities ranging from 0.0 to an average 1.43 mph (0.64 m/s). Based on the average outer structure diameter of the IsoTruss® specimens, the water velocities corresponded to a Reynolds number range of 7,000 to 80,000. Based on the average member diameter, the corresponding Reynolds number spanned from 600 to 3,000. In addition, the height variation drag tests were performed by vertically extracting the IsoTruss® test specimens from the test section at four different immersed height levels, with a maximum immersed height of 7.22 in (18.1 cm). The height variation testing corresponded to a Froude number range of 0.40 to 0.90. The IsoTruss® specimens exhibited an average lower drag coefficient based on the projected cylindrical area than the smooth circular cylinder data throughout the Reynolds number and Froude number ranges. The drag coefficient based on solid member area showed no correlation when shown as a function of the solidity ratio. However, for the drag coefficient calculated from the solid member projected area, the data for all IsoTruss® test specimens collapsed to a 2nd order polynomial when presented as a function of the Froude number, with an R2 of 0.99. Conversely, no significant relationship was shown when the drag coefficient based on projected cylindrical area was plotted versus the Froude number. The hydrodynamic data was compared to aerodynamic data, and the orientation testing results were identical. The hydrodynamic data differed by an average of 17% compared to the non-dimensional aerodynamic results. The flow visualization research revealed that the velocity returned to 2% of the freestream velocity at 1.24 diameters upstream from the prototypical IsoTruss® wind tower. Likewise, the velocity returned to a maximum 4% of the freestream velocity at 0.94 diameters sidestream of the model IsoTruss® wind tower.

This thesis focuses on the field performance of IsoTruss®-reinforced concrete beam columns for use in driven piles. Experimental investigation included one instrumented carbon/epoxy IsoTruss®-reinforced concrete pile (IRC pile) and one instrumented steel-reinforced concrete pile (SRC pile) which were driven into a clay profile at a test site. These two piles, each 30 ft (9 m) in length and 14 in (36 cm) in diameter, were quasi-statically loaded laterally until failure. Behavior was predicted using three different methods: 1) a commercial finite difference-based computer program called Lpile; 2) a Winkler foundation model; and, 3) a simple analysis based on fundamental mechanics of materials principles. Both Lpile and Winkler foundation model predictions concluded that the IRC pile should hold approximately twice the load of the SRC pile. Applying mechanics of materials principles found the predicted stiffness of the piles to be consistent with the laboratory results. Due to unresolveable errors, experimental field test data for the SRC pile is inconclusive. However, analysis predictions in conjunction with field test data for the IRC pile show that the IRC pile should perform similar to predictions and laboratory test results. Therefore, IsoTruss® grid-structures are a suitable alternative to steel as reinforcement in driven piles.

Recent research and development has resulted in a working prototype of an automated process for manufacturing IsoTruss® and other innovative open lattice composite structures which yields faster, and more predictable and consistent parts, while automatically consolidating individual members. This machine is sufficiently versatile to manufacture any type of open lattice structure fabricated from filamentary composite materials. The objectives of the research in this thesis were two-fold: (1) to validate this new process for making IsoTruss structures; and (2) to measure the compression strength and stiffness of specimens produced on the machine. In order to accomplish the first purpose, various parts were manufactured on this prototype machine, including: a six-node IsoTruss structure with single outer longitudinal members, a three-longitudinal member section of an inner longitudinal IsoTruss structure with consolidated members, and a two-bay IsoTruss panel structure. By creating and running patterns to make these parts, the hypothesis that the machine will make any geometry of IsoTruss structure was validated. The second objective of this research was accomplished by testing the compression strength and stiffness of specimens manufactured with this automated process. Buckling versus compression failure of members was examined by varying member aspect ratios. The effect of intersecting helical members was also explored, as was the effect of changing the number of braiding bobbins used to consolidate members. Testing showed that increasing the number of braiders increases consistency of the braided sleeves and reduces scatter in the results. The ratio of helical to longitudinal tows at a joint is directly related to the percent decrease in member strength at the joint. Compression failure of individual members is the preferred method of failure, because this type of failure absorbs significantly more energy. This research proves that the manufacturing process will produce even the most complex IsoTruss geometries, with the necessary consolidation of individual members. Findings also indicate that a few modifications -- such as improved bobbins, more reliable switches, more accurate pulling system, etc. -- will enable this automated process to produce composite lattice structures with superior mechanical properties.

Compression strength after impact tests were conducted on unidirectional composite rods with sleeves. These elements represent local members of open three-dimensional composite lattice structures (e.g., based on isogrid or IsoTruss® technologies). The unidirectional cores composed of carbon, glass, or basalt fiber/epoxy composites were co-cured in aramid sleeves. Sleeve patterns included both bi-directional (unsymmetric) braids and unidirectional spiral wraps with sleeve coverage ranging from nominally half to full. The diameters were nominally 8 and 11 mm (5/16 and 7/16 in). The larger diameter had nominally twice the cross-sectional area, to quantify the effects of scaling. The specimens were long enough to encourage local buckling failure as expected in members of typical composite lattice structures. The unsupported lengths varied from 127 mm (5.0 in) to 160 mm (6.3 in). Specimens were radially impacted at mid-length with energy levels ranging from 0 to 20 J (0 to 14.8 ft-lbs) and tested in longitudinal compression to quantify the effects of local impact damage on the buckling strength. In undamaged specimens, sleeve type and sleeve coverage have no effect on the ultimate compression strength of carbon, glass, or basalt composites (7% or less standard deviation for each material). When impacted, the influence of sleeve type and sleeve coverage varies with the type of fiber in the unidirectional core. Sleeve type and coverage did not affect the compression strength after impact for fiberglass composites. On the other hand, both carbon and basalt composites exhibited improved performance with braided (vs. spiral) sleeves (up to 34% stronger) and full (vs. half) coverage (up to 38% stronger). The compression strength of carbon configurations decreases with increasing impact energy regardless of sleeve type or coverage. The higher flexibility of glass and basalt composites, however, allowed some configurations to maintain the same compression strength after impact as their undamaged counterparts, at lower impact energy levels. Doubling cross-sectional area of basalt composites significantly improves the stiffness and compression strength after impact, more than doubling the impact energy required to achieve the same compression strength.