Triangle of Engineering

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Welcome

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

References

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

American Airlines Flight 587 Airbus Industrie A300-605R, N14053 Belle Harbor, New York November 12, 2001, Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-04/04 PB2004-910404 Notation 7439B.

www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2004/AAR0404.pdf

Materials Examination of the Vertical Stabilizer from American Airlines Flight 587 (NASA Technical Report), Fox, MR; Schultheisz, CR; Reeder, JR; Jensen, BJ

http://ntrs.larc.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050238475&qs=N=4294966788+4294724858

NASA Structural Analysis Report on the American Airlines Flight 587 AccidentLocal Analysis of the Right Rear Lug, Raju, IS; Glaessgen, EH; Mason, BH; Krishnamurthy, T; Davila, CG

http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20050199068
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Fiber-reinforced Composite

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Taken from American Airlines Flight 587 Airbus Industrie A300-605R, N14053 Belle Harbor, New York November 12, 2001, Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-04/04 PB2004-910404 Notation 7439B.

On November 12, 2001, about 09:16:15 Eastern standard time, American Airlines flight 587, an Airbus Industrie A300-605R, N14053, crashed into a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York.
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Vertical Stabilizer

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

24 I-shaped stringers extend along span 16 ribs and 2 closure ribs Designed to be made of composite materials Stiffened box structure
CFRP laminate
T300 fibers Epoxy matrix

Except for fasteners, lightning protection strips,

M. R. Fox, C. R. Schultheisz, J. R. Reeder and B. J. Jensen, M. R. Fox, Materials Examination of the Vertical Stabilizer from American Airlines Flight 587

Lug Cross-Section

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Attachment of vertical stabilizer to the fuselage

Six CFRP lugs, 3 extending from each of the two skin panels Connected by 2 diameter bolts to clevis fittings on the fuselage

Assembly
Outer pre-cured half laid down Skin layers Inner pre-cured half

Aft lugs have more than 170 layers of fabric!

M. R. Fox, C. R. Schultheisz, J. R. Reeder and B. J. Jensen, M. R. Fox, Materials Examination of the Vertical Stabilizer from American Airlines Flight 587

Main Lug Fractures

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

M. R. Fox, C. R. Schultheisz, J. R. Reeder and B. J. Jensen, M. R. Fox, Materials Examination of the Vertical Stabilizer from American Airlines Flight 587

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Translaminar Fracture

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

SEM Radial patterns

indicative of tensile fracture general direction of propagation may be assessed by pattern of many fibers observed on inside edge of lug

Chop marks
Lines across ends of fractured fibers indicative of compression load observed on outboard surface

Fatigue
indicated by rounded surface on fiber ends not present in these samples

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Delamination

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Provides indication of the shear stress direction Hackles

thin plates of fractured matrix material between fibers perpendicular to fiber axis shear fracture

River marks
initiation of matrix cracks observed in matrix-rich regions

No evidence of fatigue

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Combined Loads

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Note that shear and bending are highly correlated, therefore it is sufficient to plot torsion against either quantity.

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Combined Loads

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

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Airbus Certification Test

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

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Finite Element Analysis

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

Analysis of right rear lug Validation is an essential part of the modeling exercise Moment about the fuselage, Mx, has a significant effect on failure load Agreement between predicted failure load and estimate from flight data Failure load 1.98 times limit load of the lugs

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NTSB Aircraft Accident Report

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

No deviations from the original design and materials specifications were found in the vertical stabilizer (including the repair to the left center lug area that was made during manufacturing) that would have contributed to the vertical stabilizer separation. Also, a detailed inspection of flight 587 on of the vertical stabilizer main attachment fitting fractures, revealed that each main attachment fitting had features that were consistent with overstress fracture and exhibited no evidence of fatigue features or other preexisting degradation. Fracture features and damage patterns on the right forward, center, and rear lugs were consistent with overstress failure under tensile loading. The right rear lug, in particular, had fracture features that were consistent with failure in the cleavage-tension mode. Fracture features and damage patterns on the left forward, center, and rear lugs had features that were consistent with the vertical stabilizer bending to the left after separation of the lugs on the right side. Taken from American Airlines Flight 587 Airbus Industrie A300-605R, N14053 Belle Harbor, New York November 12, 2001, Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-04/04 PB2004-910404 Notation 7439B.
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Cleavage-Tension Failure Mode

A. J. Beaudoin, Jr. ME 430 Failure of Engineering Materials

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the inflight separation of the vertical stabilizer as a result of the loads beyond ultimate design that were created by the first officers unnecessary and excessive rudder pedal inputs. Contributing to these rudder pedal inputs were characteristics of the Airbus A300600 rudder system design and elements of the American Airlines Advanced Aircraft Maneuvering Program. Taken from American Airlines Flight 587 Airbus Industrie A300605R, N14053 Belle Harbor, New York November 12, 2001, Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-04/04 PB2004-910404 Notation 7439B.
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