Full-scale testing and analysis of fuselage structure

Miller, M.; Gruber, M. L.; Wilkins, K. E.; Worden, R. E.

This paper presents recent results from a program in the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group to study the behavior of cracks in fuselage structures. The goal of this program is to improve methods for analyzing crack growth and residual strength in pressurized fuselages, thus improving new airplane designs and optimizing the required structural inspections for current models. The program consists of full-scale experimental testing of pressurized fuselage panels in both wide-body and narrow-body fixtures and finite element analyses to predict the results. The finite element analyses are geometrically nonlinear with material and fastener nonlinearity included on a case-by-case basis. The analysis results are compared with the strain gage, crack growth, and residual strength data from the experimental program. Most of the studies reported in this paper concern the behavior of single or multiple cracks in the lap joints of narrow-body airplanes (such as 727 and 737 commercial jets). The phenomenon where the crack trajectory is curved creating a 'flap' and resulting in a controlled decompression is discussed.

Document ID

19950008071

Acquisition Source

Legacy CDMS

Document Type

Conference Paper

Authors

Date Acquired

September 6, 2013

Publication Date

September 1, 1994

Publication Information

Publication: NASA. Langley Research Center, FAA(NASA International Symposium on Advanced Structural Integrity Methods for Airframe Durability and Damage Tolerance

Subject Category

Accession Number

95N14485

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Public

Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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