Software for the Design and Certification of Unitized Airframe Components

This SBIR Phase II will demonstrate the feasibility for a unitized component structural design tool that allows for holistic risk assessment. The analysis will transform the FEA predicted stress (or strain) state into fully probabilistic assessment of uncertainty in geometry and loading throughout the component. Thereafter the design tool will conduct probabilistic microstructural damage accumulation modeling to predict the material degradation or damage state evolution throughout the component. During Phase II, IDA concept will be developed into a comprehensive methodology and coding. One of the primary drivers of the cost of fabrication is manufacturing tolerance control. The statistical variation of the part's configuration serves as the input to IDA. Thus, the different combinations of allowable variations in the component's configuration can be determined based on the allowable risk of component failure. The effect of the variation in geometry, microstructure, residual stress state and their influences on each other are assessed in the robust analysis. Finally it will be shown how the envisioned IDA can be used directly for aircraft structural fleet analysis.