Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

Technology Modular Degrees Scheme

Semester 1, January Examinations 2012/2013

Level 6


MODULE: AE3011: Aerospace Structures and Materials

DURATION: Three Hours


Instructions to Candidates

This paper contains SIX questions in TWO sections: Section A and Section B
Answer FOUR questions only:
Section A: Answer TWO questions
Section B: Answer TWO questions
All questions carry equal marks
.


ANSWER EACH SECTION IN A SEPARATE ANSWER BOOK



CANDIDATES ARE PERMITTED TO BRING ONE APPROVED
CALCULATOR INTO THIS EXAMINATION: from either Casio FX83 or Casio
FX85 series (with any suffix), FX115MS, FX570ES or FX991ES

Invigilators are under instruction to remove any other calculators




Stationery Pink Answer Book x 2
Graph Paper





Number of Pages: 1 11
1

SECTION A

Q1. (a) The thin plate shown in Figure Q1(a) carries a stress that varies uniformly from

1
to
2
. It is to be idealized into two booms carrying direct stress only and a web
that carries shear stress only. Show that under these conditions the boom areas
will be given by
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
1
2
1
2
6 o
o bt
B and
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
2
1
2
2
6 o
o bt
B . State any assumptions
made.
(7 marks)

(b) Figure Q1(b) shows the dimensions of the fuselage of a proposed new small
transport aircraft at a certain station towards the tail plane. Angle section sizes
and skin thicknesses are also shown.

(i) The section is to be idealized into an arrangement of 8 booms and shear
webs suitable for resisting bending moments in the vertical plane. Find
the required cross-sectional areas of booms B
1
to B
8
.
(9 marks)

(iii) A bending moment of 720 kNm is applied about the horizontal plane of
symmetry of the fuselage. Determine the direct stress in each boom
assuming that the booms carry all the direct stress.
(9 marks)

All symbols have their usual meanings.


b

t b


B
1


1

t
d


2
B
2


Figure Q1(a)





Question 1 continued..

2
Continuation of Question 1





All angle sections have a csa of 400 mm
2

300 600 300

3
2 2 400
4



3 3 800

4



2 2 400
3

300 600 300
All dimensions in mm

Figure Q1(b)

















Continued..

3
Q2.
The Z-section shown in Figure Q2a is made from formed aluminium alloy 2024-
T3 sheet.

i. Determine what compressive stress will initiate buckling of an element of
this section?
(10 Marks)

ii. Which element will buckle at this stress?
(9 Marks)

iii. Discuss briefly the following terms:
- Overall buckling
- Local buckling
- Crippling stress

(6 Marks)


Take E = 72 GPa,
Y
= 240 MPa, v = 0.3, o
0.7
= 270 MPa and n = 10. You may use
Figs Q2b and Q2c for this question.



Figure Q2a







Question 2 continued..




All dimensions in mm

4
Continuation of Question 2




Figure Q2b

Source: Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, E F Bruhn, Jacobs Publishing Inc.

Question 2 continued..



5
Continuation of Question 2



Figure Q2c

Source: Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, E F Bruhn, Jacobs Publishing Inc.






Continued..




6
Q3.
A square flat plate shown in Figure Q3(a) is made from an aluminium with E = 75 GPa
and v = 0.28 with thickness 5 mm.

The plate carries an inclined corner load of 24 kN as illustrated. For the purposes of a
finite element analysis, the plate can be modelled a plane stress problem.

By using two triangular elements as shown in Figure Q3(b) the stiffness matrix for
element and are given by

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|






=
03 . 2 0 03 . 2 57 . 0 0 57 . 0
0 73 . 0 73 . 0 73 . 0 73 . 0 0
03 . 2 73 . 0 77 . 2 30 . 1 73 . 0 57 . 0
57 . 0 73 . 0 30 . 1 77 . 2 73 . 0 03 . 2
0 73 . 0 73 . 0 73 . 0 73 . 0 0
57 . 0 0 57 . 0 03 . 2 0 03 . 2
10
5 1
e
K N/mm


mm / N
77 . 2 30 . 1 73 . 0 57 . 0 03 . 2 73 . 0
30 . 1 77 . 2 73 . 0 03 . 2 57 . 0 73 . 0
73 . 0 73 . 0 73 . 0 0 0 73 . 0
57 . 0 03 . 2 0 03 . 2 57 . 0 0
03 . 2 57 . 0 0 57 . 0 03 . 2 0
73 . 0 73 . 0 73 . 0 0 0 73 . 0
10 K
5 2
e
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

=

(a) Find the global stiffness matrix for the structure and determine the deflections at node 3.

(15 marks)
Note:









And for plane stress








Question 3 continued..

(
(
(

A
=
j i i j i m m i m j j m
i j m i j m
j i i m m j
y y x x y y x x y y x x
x x 0 x x 0 x x 0
0 y y 0 y y 0 y y
2
1
B
(
(
(
(

v
v
v
v
=
2
1
0 0
0 1
0 1
1
E
D
2

7
2
1
Continuation of Question 3



(b) The elemental stresses for element 1 were found to be o
x
= -17.1 MPa, o
y
= -
61.0 MPa and t
xy
= -12.6 MPa. Find the stresses o
x
, o
y
and t
xy
for element 2.
Comment on the results obtained.
(10 marks)


24000 N y
100 mm
60 4 3

100 mm


1 2 x

Figure Q3(a) Figure Q3(b)



and the stresses can be found from:























Continued
e
xy
yy
xx
DB D o = c =
(
(
(

t
o
o
= o

8
SECTION B


Q4. (a) Describe beach mark and fatigue striation. How they are formed and can
be distinguished from each other.
(6 marks)



(b) Al
2
O
3
has a fracture toughness of 4 MPam. A batch of Al
2
O
3
samples is
found to contain surface flaws of about 25 m deep. Estimate the tensile
strength of Al
2
O
3
. Assume Y=1.12.

(6 marks)












Figure Q4: Three Point Bend Test

(c) A structural component in the form of a wide plate is to be fabricated from
steel alloy that has a plane strain fracture toughness of 100 MPam and a
yield stress of 600 MPa. The flaw size resolution limit of the NDT apparatus
is 5.0mm. The maximum stress in the plate should not exceed half the yield
stress and the geometry factor Y=1.16. Determine whether or not a critical
flaw for this plate is detectable with the available NDT apparatus

(7 marks)



(d) An edged cracked plate has m MPa 5 K
th
= A at stress ratio of R=0.6 and
Y=1.12. If the plate is under fatigue loading with applied stress range of 80
MPa at R=0.6 how much is the maximum and minimum stresses?
(2 marks)

Find the longest crack which will not grow under above fatigue loading.

(4 marks)



Continued
a
P,
S
W

9


Q5. A thin-walled pressure vessel with radius of 300mm is desired to carry a
maximum internal pressure of 25 MPa. Due to cost consideration for the
material, steel with a fracture toughness of 120 m MPa and yield stress of 600
MPa is considered.

For a semi-elliptical surface flaw, the stress concentration factor can be obtained
from
k I
M
Q
a
K =
t
o 12 . 1 , where
k
M is the magnification factor for deep flaw and
in this case can be obtained from

s
s < +
=
5 . 0 / 0 . 1
0 . 1 / 5 . 0 ) 5 . 0 ( 2 . 1 0 . 1
t a
t a
t
a
M
k

where t is the wall thickness (FIG Q5.1) and the flaw shape factor, Q, can be
found from FIG. Q5.2. Assume we want to prevent failures caused by a possible
surface flaw of depth a=10 mm and 25 . 0 2 / = c a .

(a) Based on a safety factor of 2 against fracture, find the equation for design
stress in terms of fracture toughness K
IC
and crack length, a.
(5 marks)

(b) In what direction is the maximum stress and how it can be obtained? What
will be the relation for the design thickness?
(5 marks)

(c) What is the required wall thickness for the vessel to tolerate operating at
maximum pressure? For the initial trial assume 6 . 0 / =
Y
o o and 1 =
k
M . Find
your answer with two iterations discarding the initial trial.
(5 marks for each iteration, total 15 marks)







FIG Q5.1: Pressure vessel with section A-A with surface flaw.


Question 5 continued..

2c
P
t
A A
D
2c
a
t
SECTION A-
A
10

Continuation of Question 5


Figure Q5.2: Effect of c a 2 / and
Y
o o / ratios on flaw-shape parameter Q.
Figure from Fracture and Fatigue Control, JM Barsom and ST Rolfe, ASTM,
1999
Continued.


11

Q6. (a) Explain the S-N diagram for fatigue of materials and how such a
diagram can be obtained in lab. What is the endurance limit or fatigue
limit and how does this differ in ferrous and non-ferrous materials? In
a single plot show a typical S-N curve for ferrous and non-ferrous
material.
(7 marks)

(b) A restraining bar from a support of an aircraft engine was found to
contain a crack which was orientated normal to the maximum tensile
stress direction. The crack found was 30mm long originating from a
central fastener hole in the bar. It was found that the maximum and
minimum stresses applied in each cycle was MPa 120 and MPa 40 ,
respectively. The part was withdrawn from service as soon as the
crack was observed.

Measurements of fatigue crack growth rate on a material with the
same specification used for this bar and under similar loading
conditions gave a Paris crack propagation relationship of the form:


( )
4
I
13
K 10 8
dN
da
A =



where the constants are appropriate when stress intensity values are
expressed in m MPa and crack length in m.

Calculate the number of cycles it would have taken for the crack to
grow to 42 mm long if the bar had remained in service.

(14 marks)

(c) What is the required value of K
IC
for the bar to ensure an 60mm

long
crack could be sustained at the maximum stress level?

Assume the geometry factor Y=1.25
(4 marks)




END OF EXAMINATION PAPER