Paper number 156
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DAMAGE ARREST ASSESSMENT OF SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT COMPOSITE SANDWICH PANELS WITH INTEGRAL TEAR STRAP REINFORCEMENTS |
Nai-Chien Huang1 , Yao-Chen Li1 , and Steven G. Russell2
1 Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, U.S.A.
2 Northrop Grumman Corporation
Commercial Aircraft Division, Dallas, TX 75265, U.S.A.
| Summary | In this study, composite sandwich panels with crack-like damage are analyzed for application in subsonic and supersonic transport fuselage structures. To assess the effect of curvature and reinforcements due to tear straps and circumferential frames, the panel can be (i) either flat or cylindrical, (ii) either reinforced or unreinforced by tear straps, and (iii) either stiffened or unstiffened by circumferential frames. A composite sandwich test panel under axial tension will be analyzed. The panel consists of two facesheets and a core. The facesheets are made of polyimide composite prepreg tape and the core is made of titanium honeycomb. Five tear straps are built into the facesheets by interweaving plies. The panel is stiffened by three J-section frames which are made of two-dimensional orthotropic triaxially braided composites. The commercial finite element code ABAQUS with layered shell sections is employed for stress analysis. A quantitative estimate of residual strength in panels reinforced by straps is provided by this study. |
Keywords | fracture, composite laminates, finite element method (FEM), tear strap. |