WASIS - Composite fuselage section Wafer Design Approach for Safety Increasing in Worst Case Situations and Joints Minimizing
Overview
Background & policy context:
Aeronautics is a key asset for the future of Europe. However, nowadays the industry has to face the challenge of "More Affordable, Safer, Cleaner and Quieter" while at the same time accounting for a demand that will triple over the next 20 years.
Objectives:
The WASIS project aims to rise to this challenge with the development of a composite fuselage structure based on the lattice stiffening concept, optimizing geometrical and mass properties of transition zones of fuselage structural joints. Project overall concept is focused on simultaneous meeting environmental demands and rising safety, coupled with design and manufacturing cost-efficiency improvement.
Methodology:
The lattice approach allows composites to obtain more efficient mechanical behaviour, reducing weight and optimizing structure performance, which will be proved by comparative simulations against other approaches. This will be combined with specially designed semi-loop and micro-pin joining elements to provide the ability of innovative non-regular lattice structure manufacturing, save aircraft weight, avoid fuselage section weakening due to cutting reinforcement fibres.
Furthermore, the structure will also be developed to better withstand worst situation loadings, assessing safety through the large adoption of simulation and virtual testing from the very first design stages to analyse explosions and material damping. Developed innovative fuselage section design will be merged with high-productive filament winding technology to reduce manufacturing costs and time, and samples will be manufactured in order to prove how the different concepts fit together. Complete testing of the samples will be applied to prove the wafer approach. This integrated approach will result in sufficient fuselage weight savings, manufacturing cost/time efficiency and safety increase.
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