The design of advanced aircraft structures to resist acoustic fatigue; work in progress

Abstract

Details of the current research activities in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, on the response of advanced aircraft structures to acoustic loading, are presented. Both box type and sandwich structures, employing aluminium alloy, carbon fibre reinforced plastic, and GLARE composite materials, are being investigated. In order to develop design guidelines for these complex structures, it is necessary to combine theoretical predictions, using the finite element method, with experimental measurements of the structural response to random acoustic loading. Both types of structure will be tested in the Progressive Wave Tube facility at Southampton. In addition, it is hoped that a more comprehensive damping guide will be produced for the type of structure used in advanced aircraft design.