Development of thin-walled FML structures for Single Aisle Aircraft

The high performance of Fiber Metal Laminate Structures has been confirmed by the A380, being in flight operation since 9 years. Confirmation of performance had been demonstrated by full scale test articles, concession handling during manufacturing and the consequences of in-service ground handling damages. As expected, the high damage tolerance of FML structures, e.g. GLARE, allow to decrease/relax the maintenance efforts.

Thin-walled FML structures are under development by Airbus and partners since 2006. Different than for the A380, not more than a 2/1 lay-up is required for large areas of a small aircraft fuselage in order to fulfill the static, fatigue and damage tolerance requirements. However, dealing with 2 aluminium foils of limited width requires specific design solutions locally, for example in order to provide sufficient thickness to host countersunk fastener or to provide damage arrest capability even if the materials fracture toughness is exceeded. Selected items from a long development phase will be presented.