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Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 11:00 AM
ASLCM064.6

Validation of Advanced Fuselage Concepts Integrating Materials, Design and Manufacturing

M. Kulak, J. Scheuring, B. Bodily, B. Bucci, G. Dixon, M. Ripepi, J. Newman, Alcoa, Inc., Alcoa Center, PA

Metallic structural solutions are mistakenly perceived to be near the top of the "S" curve with regard to providing significant weight savings for the next generation commercial transport aircraft fuselage structure.  Alcoa believes that the combination of advanced alloys, innovative structural concepts, and novel manufacturing techniques can result in greater than 20% weight savings and provide significant airframe cost reductions over current state of the art fuselage structures.  Alcoa is well into the third year of an advanced fuselage R&D initiative to develop solutions that achieve these goals. Using generic structural sizing methods and custom developed software design tools, studies have been conducted to identify the most promising structural concepts for fuselage skin/stringer/frame panels. 

The fuselage concepts tested demonstrate performance improvements for both longitudinal and circumferential crack directions.  Damage tolerance and residual strength are demonstrated via large stiffened panel testing, while other structural improvements are demonstrated through coupon to sub-component level tests.  Results from testing completed to date are presented. 

Large stiffened panels (762 mm wide and 2032 mm long with 5 extruded stiffeners at 178 mm pitch) are tested with circumferential cracks to simulate skin panels with stringers for various configurations.  Mechanically fastened built-up structure, built-up structure with fiber metal laminate reinforcement, laser welded structure, and laser welded structure with fiber metal laminate reinforcement are tested for crack growth and residual strength.  Baseline alloy configurations are compared to advanced alloys developed at Alcoa for both the built-up and laser welded structures.

Frame configurations are simulated in panels (762 mm wide by 1905mm long) via a load controlling methodology designed to simulate skin panels stiffened with frames.  Additionally, wide (760mm) center crack panels are tested to provide supplementary crack growth data at the high Stress Intensity Factor ranges that are found in today’s high performance structures.


Summary: N/A