Thermal Stress Analysis of Re-Entry Structures With Multiple Corrugated Webs

Abstract

A simple and approximate method for thermal stress analysis of semi-monocoque wing-type reentry structures with multiple corrugated webs is presented. In the absence of a rigorous treatment of a wing whose corrugated webs possess more flexibility than ordinary webs, the actual threedimensional thermal stresses are considered to be divisible into two two-dimensional sources with local effects. The principle components of stress can be described as resulting from the effects of depthwise thermal gradients, chordwise (and spanwise) thermal gradients, local thermal stress due to a temperature differential in the skin and spar caps or in the skin and web at tachment , and the local thermal stress from an edge restraint in the skin and corrugated stiffeners. An extended Levy's method is used for evaluating the stresses induced by the depthwise thermal gradients. Fair agreement is obtained on comparing the calculated deflected shape with previous test results. A matrix force method is developed for the analysis of the effects of the chordwise bending stresses induced by the presence of chordwise thermal gradients.