Conference proceeding
Fatigue Testing of a Stiffened Lap Joint Curved Fuselage Structure
46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference; Austin, TX; USA; 18-21 Apr. 2005
18 Apr 2005
Abstract
In April 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 experienced an explosive midair decompression that resulted in the separation of an 18-foot section of the fuselage crown of the Boeing 737 airplane. Investigations revealed that the linkup of small cracks emanating from multiple rivet holes in a debonded lap joint contributed to the catastrophic failure. This cracking scenario is now known as the multiple-site damage (MSD) phenomenon. MSD is one of two sources of widespread fatigue damage, a type of structural degradation characterized by the simultaneous presence of fatigue cracks at multiple structural details that are of sufficient size and density whereby the structure will no longer meet its damage tolerance requirement. This study investigated MSD initiation and growth behavior in a pristine narrow-body fuselage panel. The study is sponsored by the National Aging Aircraft Research Program initiated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response to the Aloha accident. The test panel, a curved 6- by 10-foot stiffened structure containing six frames, seven stringers, and a longitudinal lap joint, was tested at the FAA Full-Scale Aircraft Structural Test Evaluation and Research facility. The panel was subjected to a fatigue test with constant-amplitude cyclic loading, simulating the major modes of load associated with fuselage pressurization. Nondestructive inspections were conducted during the fatigue test to detect and monitor crack formation and growth. MSD cracks were visually detected after about 80 percent of the fatigue life. Cracks developed and linked in the lap joint's outermost fastener row in the upper skin layer, leading to the termination of the fatigue test. A residual strength test was then conducted by subjecting the panel to quasistatic loads until catastrophic failure. Fractographic examinations are currently underway to determine crack initiation locations and reconstruct crack growth history.
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Details
- Title
- Fatigue Testing of a Stiffened Lap Joint Curved Fuselage Structure
- Creators
- Abubaker AhmedJohn Bakuckas JrJonathan AwerbuchAlan LauTein-Min Tan
- Publication Details
- 46th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference; Austin, TX; USA; 18-21 Apr. 2005
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics
- Identifiers
- 991019173545704721