M. Huertas, M. Angel Morell

Fuselage structures for transport aircraft represent a significant percentage of both the weight and the cost of the aircraft. Composite materials offer the potential for reducing both the weight and the cost. But before the composite materials can be applied safely and reliably to fuselage transport aircraft, the behaviour of these important primary structures must be understood and the technologies necessary validated and integrated into the design and manufacturing process. The composite fuselage platform of the European TANGO (Technology Application to the Near-Term Business Goals and Objectives of the Aerospace Industry) project focuses on the technology necessary for the development of composite fuselage structures with the aim to demonstrate the ability to design, and manufacture a composite pressurised fuselage section complying with the current airworthiness regulations for civil aircraft and including both low cost technologies and low weight concepts. The production of these structures employing new design and manufacturing technologies as well as new assembly methodologies will improve structural efficiency over conventional metal fuselage and will therefore permit to obtain a significant weight and cost reduction in comparison to current structures. The TANGO composite fuselage programme is the follow on step of a more extensive plan initiated with the Brite-EuRam APRICOS programme to develop a complete fuselage capability within the European community. This presentation deals with the challenges and goals of the TANGO composite fuselage programme which is intended to produce a significant advance on the application of composite material technology in pressurised fuselage structures. It was started on April 2000 and is due to be concluded by March 2004. The programme includes the design, manufacture, assembly and structural barrel test of a complete section of fuselage. The general definition of composite fuselage barrel as well as the design aims in terms of loading and mission profile is based on the Airbus A320 family of single aisle aircraft with a length of I 0 frame bays. This programme contributes very significantly to the overall risk reduction for large composite structure production and allows European industries to be at the forefront of the new technologies.

19th European Conference on Materials for Aerospace Applications, Munich, Germany, 2000

Book Chapter

englisch

14,8 x 21,0 cm, 12 Seiten

DGLR-Bericht, 2001, 2001-02, Advanced Aerospace Materials - Proceedings 2000 ; S.61-72; 2001; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V., Bonn

NA

fuselages, structural design, aeronautics

Bibliothek

2001