C. O. Standish, Boeing, Huntington Beach, CA; R. Talwar, Advanced Manufacturing R&D, Boeing – Phantom Works, St. Louis, MO; J. Inouye, T. W. Williams, Boeing IDS, C-17, Long Beach, CA; M. Novak, Alcoa Inc., Alcoa Center, PA; F. A. DiCocco, M. Kulak, Alcoa, Inc., Alcoa Center, PA
In close cooperation, Alcoa and Boeing redesigned and developed the Emergency Exit Door and three Aft Fuselage Frames for the C-17 Globemaster. This program was covered by Advanced Aluminum Aerostructures Initiative (A3I), a DoD contract administered by the US Air Force. The main goal of this program is to demonstrate that close cooperation between material producers and airframers through all stages of product development could significantly reduce the cost of installed aerostructure while maintaining or improving its performance. This presentation will provide a summary of the design and manufacturing of the production monolithic frame for the pressurized C-17 Emergency Exit Door that was introduced in production in 2005. The part and fastener count of the current conventionally build-up door was significantly reduced while significantly decreasing the recurring unit cost. The new monolithic door frame utilized the high speed machined stress relieved forged aluminum technology for maximized part consolidation. Structural qualification was performed by analysis and by similarity to the original build-up structure. This presentation will also outline potential benefits of monolithic redesign of some other primary structures in the C-17 aircraft as well as technology spin offs considered for the future commercial jets. As such, a conversion of conventionally build-up Aft Fuselage Frames into more integrated structure and a business case for the large semi-monolithic Vertical Stabilizer Skins will also be discussed.
Summary: Alcoa and Boeing teamed together and redesigned and developed the Emergency Exit Door and three Aft Fuselage Frames for the C-17 Globemaster. This program was covered by Advanced Aluminum Aerostructures Initiative (A3I), a DoD contract administered by the US Air Force, to demonstrate that close cooperation between material producers and airframers through all stages of product development could significantly reduce the cost of installed aerostructure while maintaining or improving its performance. This presentation will provide a summary of the design and manufacturing of the production monolithic frame for the pressurized C-17 Emergency Exit Door that was introduced in production in 2005. Additionally, a conversion of conventionally build-up Aft Fuselage Frames into more integrated structure and a business case for the large semi-monolithic Vertical Stabilizer Skins will also be discussed.
