Evaluation of Composite Joints in General Aviation Structures

During the Phase I program, MSC demonstrated a powerful new software tool designed for the analysis of bonded joints in General Aviation (GA) aircraft. The tool can handle the complex geometry and boundary conditions found in typical joints, and has been shown to be exceptionally accurate. An easy-to-use front end to the code was also demonstrated. In addition, Materials Sciences Corporation (MSC) proposed new approaches to understanding the mechanics of adhesive failure as a function of adhesive thickness. GA aircraft sometimes use thicker adhesive than would be recommended for optimum strength. A model based on nonlocal damage mechanics was developed that appears to explain the observed test data with a minimum of empirical constants. The Phase II program is intended to combine improved adhesive mechanics models with the analytic code, and to bring the code to maturity in preparation for release. In addition, validation data will be generated using typical joints as produced by a GA manufacturer.