NASA LogoNTRSNTRS - NASA Technical Reports ServerSearchmore_vertCollectionsAboutNewsHelpLogin Back to ResultsThe Behavior of a Stitched Composite Large-Scale Multi-Bay Pressure BoxNASA has created the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project to develop technologies to reduce impact of aviation on the environment. A critical aspect of this pursuit is the development of a lighter, more robust airframe to enable the introduction of unconventional aircraft configurations. NASA and The Boeing Company have worked together to develop a structural concept that is lightweight and an advancement beyond state-of-the-art composite structures. The Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) is an integrally stiffened panel design where elements are stitched together and designed to maintain residual load-carrying capabilities under a variety of damage scenarios. With the PRSEUS concept, through-the-thickness stitches are applied through dry fabric prior to resin infusion, and replace fasteners throughout each integral panel. Through-the-thickness reinforcement at discontinuities, such as along flange edges, has been shown to suppress delamination and turn cracks, which expands the design space and leads to lighter designs. The pultruded rod provides stiffening away from the more vulnerable skin surface and improves bending stiffness. A series of building block tests were evaluated to explore the fundamental assumptions related to the capability and advantages of PRSEUS panels. The final step in the building block series of tests is an 80%-scale pressure box representing a portion of the center section of a Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) transport aircraft. The testing of this test article under maneuver and internal pressure loading conditions is the subject of this paper. The experimental evaluation of this article, along with the other building block tests and the accompanying analyses, has demonstrated the viability of a PRSEUS center body for the HWB vehicle. Additionally, much of the development effort is also applicable to traditional tube-and-wing aircraft, advanced aircraft configurations, and other structures where weight and through-the-thickness strength are design considerations.Document ID20160006307Acquisition SourceLangley Research CenterDocument TypeTechnical Memorandum (TM)AuthorsJegley, Dawn C.*(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)*Rouse, Marshall*(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)*Przekop, Adam*(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)*Lovejoy, Andrew E.*(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)*Date AcquiredMay 17, 2016Publication DateApril 1, 2016Subject CategoryStructural MechanicsComposite MaterialsReport/Patent NumberL-20630NASA/TM-2016-218972NF1676L-22992Funding Number(s)WBS: WBS 338881.02.22.07.01.01Distribution LimitsPublicCopyrightWork of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.Available DownloadsNameType20160006307.pdfSTIcloud_downloadcontent_copyvisibilityRelated RecordsThere are no records associated with this record.visibility_offNo Preview Available
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