Virtual testing for design and certification of (fusion) bonded longitudinal joints in a fibre composite fuselage: A proposal using FEM-based progressive damage analysis

Abstract

In the design of bonded aircraft structures, the type of failure is crucial. More specifically, the failure in case of overload should be limited to the surrounding fibre composite structure. Due to the interaction of damage phenomena, failure behaviour cannot be easily predicted. To simplify the design process, guidelines should ensure that the desired failure behaviour occurs. This work investigates if suitable progressive damage analysis methods can, at least in parts, replace physical test campaigns to substantiate these design guidelines. Using the design of a longitudinal fuselage joint as an example, a continuum damage model for composite materials previously developed by the author is used to analyse the strength and occurring failure modes in detail. It is shown that physical tests could be reduced to a minimum in the future.