Installation-Induced Stress in a Black Hawk Inner Fuselage Panel,

Abstract : Some S-70A-9 Black Hawk helicopters of the Australian Army fleet are experiencing cracking on the starboard side internal fuselage skin panel. The panel is installed onto curved frames which causes installation-induced stresses in the panel. The PAFEC Finite Element package has been used to model the panel and to indicate the stresses and stress concentrations within it induced by the installation process. The methods used for constructing and verifying the model are presented. The maximum stresses and stress concentration factors produced by the model are discussed.