Predicting the Structural Performance of Composite Structures Under Cyclic Loading

The increased use of advanced composite materials on primary aircraft structure has brought back to the forefront the question of how such structures perform under repeated loading. In particular, when damage or other stress risers are present, tests have shown that the load to cause failure after a given number of cycles is a decreasing...

The residual load carrying capacity of timber joints

Timber joints that have been preloaded for 2 to 8 years have been short term tested in accordance with EN 26891. The applied load levels varied between 30% and 50% of the average short term strength. The study comprised nailed, toothed-plate and split-ring joints. All joints were made of spruce and loaded in tension. The test results indicated...

Uitspoeling zand door gescheurde asfaltbekledingen

A damage tolerance study conducted with structure relevant specimens

A preliminary investigation is reported of the development of a Structure Relevant (SR-) specimen, which maintains the essential features of a stiffened panel configuration, in order to study damage growth behavior at limited cost. Several SR-specimens were fabricated, damage was applied, either through impacts or by the insertion of artificial...

Bulging of fatigue cracks in a pressurized aircraft fuselage

Bulging of fatigue cracks in a pressurized aircraft fuselage

Delamination growth in improved carbon composites under constant amplitude fatigue loading

Constant amplitude tension-compression fatigue tests were performed on notched (± 45, 02, 90, 02)s coupon specimens of the composite systems T300/F593, T400H/6376, T800H//5245C and IM6/APC-2. Delamination damage growth as a function of the number of fatigue cycles was determined using the ultrasonic C-scan technique. Considering the resistance...

Residual strength of bonded stiffened panels: prediction and experimental verification

This report presents results of residual strength calculations, carried out on cracked panel configurations of various designs and provided with bonded stiffeners. The calculations were carried out using the computer program BOND. The results of these calculations are compared with results of residual strength tests, performed on panels of...

Application of fracture mechanics in designing built-up sheet structures

Past experience has shown that during the operational life of an aircraft structure cracks or failures may arise in different structural components. In future designs the designer must be able on the one hand to restrict the occurrence of cracks by a careful detail design and on the other hand to guarantee some specified life of the aircraft if...