Novel filler materials for composite out-of-plane joints

In the manufacture of the out-of-plane joints of composite stiffened panels, such as the connection between skin and T, I, omega shaped stiffeners, a filler material is needed to fill the void between the flanges, web and skin. The most common filler is a rolled unidirectional prepreg tape (“noodle”), which is not only expensive to manufacture, but also has low strength that can lead to premature failure of the loaded joint. In this work, eight...