Development of a metal test box configuration to test a range of skin panels of a composite horizontal stabilizer

• Published in: Composite structures 1998-08, Vol.42 (4), p.329-340
• Main Authors: van Rijn, J.C.F.N, Thuis, H.G.S.J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Measurement and testing methods; Measurement methods and techniques in continuum mechanics of solids; Physics; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Properties and testing; Solid mechanics; Structural and continuum mechanics; Technology of polymers; Testing and control
• ISSN: 0263-8223; 1879-1085
• DOI: 10.1016/S0263-8223(98)00078-6

Within the framework of a national technology programme under a contract awarded by the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes (NIVR), a composite stabilizer was developed by Fokker Aircraft B.V. in close collaboration with NLR. One of the activities in this technology program for NLR was to develop a test box for testing large composite skin panels and to test the composite panels on this box. The main goals of this part of the program were: To develop a single test box on which a number of test panels with different configurations could be loaded to relatively high strain levels without incurring damage to the test box; To load the test panels in such a way that an optimum correspondence between strain distributions in the test panels and the horizontal stabilizer skins was attained; To validate the design concepts of the skin panels by comparison of calculated and measured strain distributions. All objectives have been met successfully. Six different panels were tested on a single metal test box. The panels were loaded up to a maximum of 3.0 times Limit Load with a total of 21 different loading conditions without incurring any damage to the metal test box. The loading of the test panels was such that an acceptable correspondence of the measured strain distributions and the calculated strain distributions in the horizontal stabilizer skins was attained. The measured strain distributions compared quite well with the calculated strain distributions for the test panels.