Behavior of aeronautical materials and structures subjected to impact

• Grant number: 02/11313-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE
• Start date: June 01, 2003
• End date: July 31, 2006
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Mechanics of Solids
• Principal Investigator: Marcílio Alves
• Grantee: Marcílio Alves
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Company: Empresa Brasileira Aeronáutica S/A (EMBRAER)
• City: São Paulo

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to undertake the technological development that will allow Embraer to simulate and analyze the response of aeronautical structures when subjected to impact. The shapes of the impacting projectiles include extremely hard spheres and flexible bodies which mimic the impact of small fragments and birds respectively. The projectiles are fired against aeronautical structures and the various impact tests provide assistance for the simulations to be undertaken. In order to proceed to numerical analysis, the mechanical properties of the material that makes up the structure under evaluation are determined by means of static and dynamic traction tests, covering a range of 0 to 5.000/s of deformation rate. The project also proposes the development of the theoretical model of failure based on the mechanics of damage to predict the failure of the material in impact situations. The model considers the effect of large deformations, temperature and rate of deformation and will be implemented and tested alongside the experimental results in the program of finite elements used in the analyses. (AU)