The Boeing Company

Martin G Andrews

Jason Lawrence Firko

Kenneth D Cominsky

Steven Edward Pearson

Matthew M Whitmer

Douglas G Marciniak

Rebecca M Dixon

Jeremie Joel Albert

Madhavadas Ramnath

Gerald E Mabson

Hangki Lee

Andrew R Anderson

Taeksun Nam

Steven E Pearson

Jason L Firko

An apparatus is provided for finite element modeling and analysis of a structural product. A pre-processing system may produce a finite element model of a structural product including component parts joined by a fastener. The finite element model may represent the product by respective meshes of elements including shell or solid elements for the component parts, and beam and spring elements for the fastener in which at least one spring element has an axial offset from the shell or solid elements with respect to an axis of the fastener. A processing system may perform a finite element method (FEM) failure analysis of the finite element model under an external load that is transferable from the component parts to the fastener. The FEM failure analysis may produce an output that indicates a behavior of the fastener, and the FEM failure analysis may predict a component failure rate of the fastener based on the behavior.

System for finite element modeling and analysis of a structural product

There is provided a method of making a composite hat stiffener. The method has the steps of curing a composite hat stiffener in a hat tool to form a pre-cured composite hat stiffener. The pre-cured composite hat stiffener has a composite hat section, a plurality of composite stiffening plies with a body ply, a wrap ply, and a base ply, all coupled to the composite hat section, wherein the body ply is coupled to a first side of the composite hat section, the wrap ply is coupled to the body ply, and the base ply is coupled to the body ply and the wrap ply, a pair of radius filler noodles coupled to the composite hat section and disposed between the plurality of composite stiffening plies, and an outer ply coupled to the composite hat section. The method further includes bonding the pre-cured composite hat stiffener to a structure surface.

Composite hat stiffener, composite hat-stiffened pressure webs, and methods of making the same

A storage container, which may be a fuel bladder, includes a container wall configured to retain a fluid within the container and an opening through the container wall. The container includes a rim of the container wall surrounding the opening and a non-planar flex region of the container wall adjacent to the rim. The flex region includes at least one resilient crease in the container wall and the rim is between the flex region and the opening. A portion of the container wall surrounds the flex region. The flex region exhibits the property of allowing movement of the rim with respect to the portion of the container wall.

Bladders, storage containers, and aircraft fuel systems

In an embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a hat stiffener. The hat stiffener has a cap. The hat stiffener further has a first web and a second web extending from opposite ends of the cap. The first web and the second web are non-linear and include at least one canted portion. The hat stiffener further has a first flange extending outwardly from a first web base portion and a second flange extending outwardly from a second web base portion.

Hat stiffeners with canted webs

There is provided a composite hat stiffener, a composite hat-stiffened pressure web, and a method of making the same. The composite hat stiffener has a composite hat section having a first side and a second side. The composite hat stiffener further has a plurality of composite stiffening plies coupled to the composite hat section. The plurality of composite stiffening plies include a body ply coupled to the first side of the composite hat section, a wrap ply coupled the body ply, and a base ply coupled to the body ply and the wrap ply. The composite hat stiffener further has a pair of radius filler noodles coupled to the composite hat section and disposed between the plurality of composite stiffening plies. The composite hat stiffener further has an outer ply coupled to the second side of the composite hat section.

Growing community of inventors

Chadds Ford, PA, United States of America

Martin G Andrews