Space Truss Material Selection Example

In order to evaluate one of the issues that is very pertinent to this material selection, the cost to get the truss elements up into space must be known. In 1985, a Shuttle flight cost 90 million. If the Shuttle is capable of carrying a payload of 60,000 lb (27,000 kg), then for every 

MATERIAL STIFFNESS STRENGTH THERMAL EXPANSION 10 in/irV°F DENSITY Ib/in  

There are at least two ways to make the struts. They could be solid members, or they could be hollow members. You could well imagine that, under certain circumstances, solid members would be perhaps preferable to hollow members, and for other reasons just the opposite would be true. It is up to you to figure out which of those two choices is best for this application. Look at both choices, or you can, alternatively, give a compelling argument as to which configuration, solid cross section, or hollow cross section, you use, with an emphasis on why. Then, you will not have to do the other calculations. 

You are to address several questions. Basic questions such as given the parameters, which of those four materials leads to the most cost-effective design Which leads to the least-weight solution for this 

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The fundamental objective in this section is to describe the factors and procedures to select the right material for a specific structural application. The right stuff for a material, as for a fighter pilot or an astronaut, is a complex combination of characteristics. To select the proper material requires being able to characterize and evaluate various composite materials (or metalsl) and to compare their attractive characteristics with the behavioral features required for a particular structure. Finally, a materials selection example of a space truss design problem will be addressed. 

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