Performance of aluminum honeycomb panels with structural defects and core anomalies. Part I - test methodology and general results

There is little data in the literature on the effect on structural performance of defects in honeycomb structure, and there is little evidence that the normally accepted defect criteria bear any direct relationship to performance. To help establish a sounder basis for the Air Logistics Centers to assess the quality of replacement components, a test program encompassing a large range of structural defects and core anomalies in aluminum honeycomb structure was conducted. The scope included 16 defect categories that are addressed specifically within existing procurement specifications. For each defect category, panels containing defects in excess of the current acceptance criteria were tested and the results compared to baseline panels with acceptable characteristics. By doing so, the tolerance and/or sensitivity of a given structure to a typical defect was determined. The panels were subjected to static and cyclic loads before and after exposure to accelerated corrosion environments and cyclic thermal loads. Part I of this paper addresses the development of the test plan for these 16 defect categories and summarizes the test results. Part II gives detailed information on specimens and testing for the 4 defect categories which were found to degrade structure performance of 30% or more. 1 ref., 2more » figs., 8 tabs.« less