Abstract
Fatigue tests of specimens and components are a necessary part of structural development in aerospace but they are expensive. It can be a problem especially in the case of low cost projects or students researches. Most of them are conducted on testing machines with simple specimens, usually with loads limited to tension mode.
The paper presents the Modular Test Stand which was design and developed to decrease the cost of fatigue tests and to test specimens with more complex load condition. The stand consists of three identical sections which are structures similar to the airframe, namely the wing box. Sections are connected, and during a test are loaded in the same manner by bending or twisting moment. The whole section structural node, a particular joint or a skin can be an object of testing.
Based on FE calculations, the design of the stand was developed. The desired requirement were uniform stress distribution in skin panels and axial stress level during bending equal to 100–120 MPa. Two stands were constructed - one for bending and one for torsion. Displacements and shearing strains were measured in the central part of the middle skin panel during torsion with the use of Digital Image Correlation method. The measurement correlated very well with FE calculations and confirmed uniform strain distribution in the panel.
The stand can be used to examine joining methods, materials but also structures with damages or repairs as well as various types of SHM sensors. The main advantage is a possibility of testing up to six specimens at the same time (double side of three sections) which reduces the cost of a single test. Additionally, a more complex load state can be achieved compare to simple specimens.
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Acknowledgements
Authors would like to express their gratitude to the Laboratory of Structures team for their help at design stage and during the test execution as well as for drawings and pictures of the stands. We would also like to thank the management of the Materials and Structures Research Center and the Center for Composite Technologies of the Institute of Aviation for enabling this research.
The researches were financed from the subsidy granted by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for statutory activities of the Institute of Aviation.
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Leski, A., Wronicz, W., Kowalczyk, P., Szmidt, M. (2020). Conception of Modular Test Stand for Fatigue Testing of Aeronautical Structures. In: Niepokolczycki, A., Komorowski, J. (eds) ICAF 2019 – Structural Integrity in the Age of Additive Manufacturing. ICAF 2019. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21503-3_59
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21503-3_59
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