Patent ID: 11966671
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G  Y | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A computer configured to determine progressive cracking in a connection interface the computer comprising:
a communication interface circuit configured to communicate data with a remote device via a communications network;
and processing circuitry operatively connected to the communication interface circuit and configured to:
obtain, from a radiological scan of a sample of a composite filler material comprised in a connection interface integrated into a structural framework of an aircraft and configured to be disposed between first and second load-bearing composite structural components on the aircraft, corresponding values for one or more parameters representing characteristics of progressive cracking in the composite filler material, wherein during the radiological scan, the composite filler material was subjected to an increasing load over a predetermined time period, and wherein the one or more parameters comprise:
an actual crack density for the composite filler material, wherein the actual crack density defines a number of cracks in the connection interface when at least one of the first and second load-bearing composite structural components begins to delaminate;
a total number of embedded cracks in the composite filler material, wherein an embedded crack comprises a crack having at least one terminating end between opposing exterior surfaces of the composite filler material;
and a distribution of the cracks in the composite filler material;
calculate a spacing requirement for the cracks in the composite filler material, wherein the spacing requirement defines an average spacing for the cracks in the composite filler material and is based at least partially on the actual crack density;
generate an initial computer model of the composite filler material as a function of the spacing requirement and an Interlaminar Shear (ILS) strength of the composite filler material;
iteratively generate a refined computer model of the composite filler material as a function of the spacing requirement and the ILS strength of the composite filler material, wherein to iteratively generate the refined computer model, the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine whether the initial computer model indicates that the at least one of the first and second load-bearing composite structural components on the aircraft have started to delaminate;
responsive to determining that the initial computer model does not indicate that the at least one of the first and second load-bearing composite structural components on the aircraft have started to delaminate:
increment the ILS strength of the composite filler material by a predetermined amount;
and generate the refined computer model of the composite filler material based on the spacing requirement and the incremented ILS strength, wherein the refined computer model indicates a placement and a predicted density of the cracks in the composite filler material;
responsive to determining that the refined computer model indicates that the at least one of the first and second load-bearing composite structural components on the aircraft have started to delaminate, identify the incremented ILS strength as a target ILS strength for the composite filler material;
and output the refined computer model for a user, wherein the refined computer model comprises a visual representation of the composite filler material graphically indicating the cracks in the composite filler material between the first and second load-bearing composite structural components.