VulComp2

Within the context of composite fuselage development of 2nd generation, the structural parts made of composite materials are very competitive (as well in other industries) due to their high specific strength. For the environment, the mass gain is in line with the reduction of pollutant emissions (noise, chemicals), and contributes to lower operating costs for airlines. In the case of emergency landing, high velocity impact and crash, passengers must remain free. At a minimum, a composite fuselage will ensure a level of survivability equivalent to that offered today by a metal fuselage. The project VULCOMP phase2 is the result of the project under broader program vulnerability of composite structures labeled in 2005 by the cluster “Aeronautics, Space and Embedded Systems”. The objective of this project is a result of being able to exceed the current limits of physical description of damaged composite materials and their mathematical laws under extreme dynamic loads. This phase is fully consistent with the overall objective VULCOMP to predict the energy absorption with a confidence level such that it will eventually get rid of expensive trials by the increased use of numerical simulation approach via the Virtual Structural Testing. To achieve this ambitious goal, we must implement the new methodologies developed in Vulcomp1, implement numerical laws and robustly tackle other technology locks by studying breakthrough methdologies to study the sub-structural level of the pyramid test. Under extreme loading conditions, composite materials exhibit multiple degradation phenomena that can be very complex (interaction delamination / transverse cracking, fragmentation, friction phenomena during failure), the influence of rate effects is also a key point, it will be also consolidated. This second phase of the programmatic VULCOMP will rely heavily on the results of Vulcomp1 to achieve the overall goal. The partners involved in its implementation are complementary in terms of academic know-how (LMT, I2M, ICA), industrial (EADS IW, Holo3, Impetus) and EPIC (ONERA). They will bring together the best French expertise in conducting studies on the behavior of composites while providing the greatest benefits from national and regional design offices within cluster AESE.