DEVELOPMENT OF A PREDICTIVE DAMAGE METHODOLOGY FOR HYBRID WING BODY AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

The aviation industry is constantly evolving and has taken a leading role in the integration of composite structures. This is particularly the case in the commercial aviation sector where fuel price constitutes a significant portion of the operational cost. In an effort to develop lighter, durable and more fuel-efficient aircraft, researchers at Boeing and NASA have collaborated to create the Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) that enables the development of damage tolerant Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft structures. Extensive testing has been carried out by NASA to demonstrate the performance and structural integrity of PRSEUS. To farther understand the damage and failure mechanisms observed during the experiments, accurate analysis tools are required. This study focuses on the development of a comprehensive methodology to capture the behavior of stitched composite structures. The paper reports on the implementation of stitching in PRSEUS T-cap structures in order to predict its intra- and inter-laminar failure when subjected to critical loading conditions. Computational results are validated using benchmark experimental data.