Advanced Metallic Structure: Cargo Fuselage Design for Improved Cost, Weight, and Integrity
Abstract
The preliminary design study was conducted to identify, evaluate, and select advanced concepts for cargo aircraft fuselage structure. The goals were to reduce the structural weight, maintain the baseline fatigue life (60,000 flight-hours and 20,000 flights), and reduce the acquisition cost. All three selected fuselage shell concepts provide a reduction in both total unit cost (2% to 7%) and participating weight (17% to 19%). Three adhesive-bonded fuselage shell concepts are recommended for further study, development, and test evaluation. Adhesive-bonded construction was chosen as the primary assembly method to reduce structural weight because it allows a significant improvement in fatigue quality of the structure. The improved fatigue quality allowed effective utilization of the new aluminum alloys, which provide a combination of improved fracture toughness and strength. Fracture mechanics and fatigue life characteristics of new aluminum alloys were investigated in an exploratory testing program. Sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of the application of the USAF Damage Tolerance Criteria.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0781814
Entities
People
- John E. Mccarty
Organizations
- Boeing