Paper number 692

C-130 HERCULES COMPOSITE FLAPS FATIGUE TEST PROGRAM

J. Ayling

Hawker de Havilland Pty Ltd
361 Milperra Road, Bankstown, New South Wales, 2200, Australia

Summary

The C130 Fatigue Test Program was a task undertaken by Hawker de Havilland to satisfy the Federal Aviation Authority certification requirements. This involved a coupon fatigue test program to quantify the fatigue threshold for the Hexcel T650/F584 material used in the design of the flaps and a component fatigue test program to demonstrate that the flaps design has satisfactory structural performance. Damage that could be expected from manufacture and service was also considered in both test programs, this included barely visible and visible impact damage. The coupon fatigue test program determined that the material fatigue threshold occurred at a nominal strain of 3400 MPa being above the allowable design strain. The component fatigue test, with the inclusion of impact damage at two structurally critical sites, was completed without incident and with no damage growth. All testing was completed by December 1997 and LMAS received final type certification for the C-130 J Hercules transport aircraft from the FAA on 9th September 1998.

Keywords

C-130 flaps, certification, fatigue and impact damage.