Assessment of Emerging Metallic Structures Technology Through Test and Analysis of Fuselage Structure

During the past decade, the aerospace industry has made significant advances in the development of emerging metallic structures technologies (EMST) aimed at being competitive with composite materials in performance while reducing manufacturing cost. The aluminum industry in particular has invested heavily in the development of new alloys and product forms, improved structural concepts, and more-efficient production and fabrication processes.

The introduction of a new material or structural concept in the aerospace industry can be quite challenging. A significant amount of test data at the coupon, substructure, and structural level is needed to fully vet and properly assess a new technology and to understand potential certification and continued airworthiness issues. Large-scale testing provides data that capture more of the effects of the manufacturing and assembly process and provide a pathway to an increased technology readiness level. In recognizing these challenges, the FAA, Arconic, and Embraer have collaborated in an effort to evaluate several EMST through full-scale testing and analysis. The goal is to demonstrate the potential for fuselage concepts using EMST to improve durability and damage tolerance compared with the current baseline aluminum fuselage. Several EMST are being considered, including single piece frames, friction stir welded longitudinal skin joints, new metallic alloys (aluminum and aluminum-lithium), bonded stringers, and hybrid construction. In total, seven panels with various EMST are planned to be tested using the FAA’s Full-Scale Aircraft Structural Test Evaluation and Research fixture, which is designed for structural testing of fuselage panels and is capable of simulating aircraft service load conditions through synchronous application of mechanical and environmental loading conditions.

This paper/presentation will provide the AeroMat community an overview and update of this multi-year collaborative program, including test and analysis results of the first two panels and plans for future work.