Friction Stir Welding effects of defects in Glare

Splicing technology is used to create fuselage panels due to the maximum width of the aluminium sheets of 60 inches as a result of the production process. A set of designing rules is required for the design of a spliced Glare fuselage resulting in a significant increase in complexity. Friction stir welding of the thin aluminium sheets in Glare...

Predicting fatigue crack initiation and propagation in Glare reinforced frames

The most highly loaded frames of the newly developed Airbus A400M transport aircraft have glass reinforced aluminium laminate (Glare) straps attached to them to increase their resistance to fatigue damage. These straps were designed using static strength requirements for the frame. Basic justification was done in two steps. Firstly, the frame...

Crack closure in Glare

The fatigue life of an aircraft is dependent on the loads of the aircraft service spectrum. Due to the variable nature of the load spectrum, fatigue crack growth is accelerated and decelerated by interaction effects. Interaction effects, like crack closure, make an accurate prediction of the fatigue life challenging. The material GLARE, a...