Simulation of hydrodynamic penetration in aircraft composite wings using finite volume and fluid-structure-interaction methods

Beg, OA; Kadir, A; Beg, TA; Leonard, HJ; Jouri, WS; Gorla, RS; Islam, B

Abstract

Hydrodynamic penetration in composite materials has been proven to be an important issue leading to significant deterioration of commercial aircraft wing structures. Lingering problems associated with this issue which is initiated with defects during manufacturing and finishing includedelamination, de-bonding, potential fracture, debris etc. Despite extensive investigation and refinement in structural design, the hydrodynamic ingress problem persists as no general mitigation technique has yet been developed. Developing sustainable solutions to the water ingress problem can be very time-consuming andcostly. The increasing use of composites in the aviation industry,in,for example,honeycomb sandwich components highlights the significant need to address the moisture ingressproblem and develop deeper insights which can assist in combatting this problem. Experimental testing, although the most dependable approach, can take months,if not years. Numerical simulations provide a powerful and alternative approach to experimental studies for obtaining an insight into the mechanisms and impact of moisture ingress in aircraft composites. The principal advantage is that they can be conducted considerably faster, are less costly than laboratory testing, and furthermore can also utilize the results of laboratory studies to aid in visualizing practical problems. Therefore, thepresent study applies a computational fluid dynamics(CFD) methodology, specifically ANSYS finite volume software and the three fluid-based solvers, Fluent, CFX and ANSYS fluid structure interaction (FSI), to simulate water ingress in composite aerospace structures. It is demonstrated that ANSYSFluent is a satisfactory computational solver for fundamental studies, providing reasonably accurate results relatively quickly, especially while simulating two-dimensional components. Three-dimensional components are ideally simulated on CFX,although the accuracy achievable is reduced. The structural-fluid based solver, ANSYS FSI(fluid structure interaction), unfortunately does not fully implement the material studiedleading to reduced accuracy. The simulations reveal interesting features associated with different inlet velocities, inlet fastener hole numbers, void number and dimensions. Pressure, velocity, streamline, total deformation and normal stress plots are presented with extensive interpretation. Furthermore,some possible mitigation pathwaysfor water ingress effects e.g.hydrophobic coatings are outlined.

Citation

Beg, O., Kadir, A., Beg, T., Leonard, H., Jouri, W., Gorla, R., & Islam, B. (2022, March). Simulation of hydrodynamic penetration in aircraft composite wings using finite volume and fluid-structure-interaction methods. Presented at ICAMET 2022: 16th International Conference on Aero-Mechanical Engineering and Technologies, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: ICAMET 2022: 16th International Conference on Aero-Mechanical Engineering and Technologies
• Conference Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Start Date: Mar 22, 2022
• End Date: Mar 23, 2022
• Acceptance Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Deposit Date: Apr 17, 2020
• Publisher URL: https://waset.org/aero-mechanical-engineering-and-technology-conference-in-march-2022-in-dubai
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference