United States Air Force

Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Wing

AlphaSTAR guided the fatigue testing of a composite wing for the US Air Force. Data from health monitoring structural testing were correlated with analytical simulation under static loading. Analysis was then used to guide the fatigue testing at extreme environmental condition.

Hybrid Structures for Improved Damage Tolerance of Unitized Structures

AlphaSTAR evaluated benefits in weight and fatigue life from the use of fiber metal laminate material concepts in structural components of large transport aircraft. Current efforts are underway in partnership with ALCOA, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Southwest Research Institute to demonstrate and validate the technology concept. Under prior phase, AlphaSTAR predicted in a sealed envelope static and fatigue properties of notched and un-notched ASTM laminates made from Glare and CentrAl materials. The analytical predictions were followed by physical testing to validate the technical approach for durability and damage tolerance and life prediction.

Bolt Bearing: Bearing Stress Vs. Displacement

Test Reference

Rooijen, R. G. J. V., Sinke, J., Vries, T. J. De, and Zwaag, S. V. D., (2006). The bearing strength of fiber metal laminates. Journal of Composite Materials, (40), pp. 5-19.

Analysis Reference

Mohit Garg, Michael Falugi, Frank Abdi, and Galib Abumeri, "Predicting Bearing Strength of Fiber Metal Laminates Via Progressive Failure Analysis", AIAA-SDM 2011 conference, Denver Colorado, -AIAA-SDM-945352.