Composite Based Marine Instrumentation Platform Structures

A novel linear composite material concept has been employed in the design and construction of a prototype marine instrumentation platform. Assembly details are reviewed relative to the fabrication of a 5 ft. diameter, 14 ft. high open-truss structure made using segmentally pultruded Kevlar 49®fiber/polyester resin composite. This corrosion resistant, integrally interwoven tower/platform was designed to encage and otherwise support a wave height/direction instrumentation package (2)(3). Mechanical strength properties of this segmentally pultruded material were determined. In addition, wave flume studies on a 1/10 scale model tower structure, demonstrated the low cross-sectional profile of this space frame structure to oncoming waves. These studies point out the overall utility of such composite materials in marine off-shore structure applications.