An assessment of simple photoelastic models in aircraft design

Abstract

AbstractPolyurethane sheet material has excellent properties for the manufacture of quick, cost effective design stress models. It is easy to model using very sharp instruments such as a scalpel with water lubrication. Because of its low stiffness, loading rigs can be constructed from engineering ply‐wood and other similar materials with the load being applied by means of dead weights or screw devices. The principle of the ‘self calibrating model’ developed by the ESA Group at Filton makes the results to be fully quantifiable. It is very rare that the opportunity arises in aircraft design and manufacture when the results of the simplified stress model can be validated against the behaviour of the real component. This paper reports on such an occasion when very good correlation was demonstrated. The correlation of the results, which was not known before, was established to be good. The conclusion is that the method for the type of problem analysed is cost effective and reliable.