High Fidelity Heat Damage Simulation of Polymer Composite Structures

Naval aircraft in operation face the risk of over-temperature incidents such as fires and high-temperature exhaust gas impingement. Protection of composite aircraft structures from excessive heat is important since the thermally damaged component could fail and result in a catastrophic accident. Existing simulation tools are not able to provide a reliable damage assessment of a large-scale structure experiencing elevated temperature incidents.  There is a need to develop improved simulation tools that can rapidly assess thermally induced damage to maximize aircraft safety and reduce maintenance cost in support of the US Navy’s mission. Luna’s team leverages extensive composite fabrication, modeling and property characterization experience to develop a multi-physics based simulation tool for rapid assessment of heat damage on polymer composite aircraft structures. To verify and validate the model, Luna’s established fiber optic sensing technology will be used to accurately map the temperature and strain throughout the composite structure under thermal-mechanical loading.  By correlating model predicted data with those measured experimentally, Luna’s team will develop a high fidelity simulation tool for rapid heat damage assessment.