Development of a multifunctional panel for aerospace use through SLM additive manufacturing

Title: Development of a multifunctional panel for aerospace use through SLM additive manufacturing

Authors: Michele Bici, Salvatore Brischetto, Francesca Campana, Carlo Giovanni Ferro, Carlo Seclì, Sara Varettib, Paolo Maggiore, Andrea Mazza

Keywords: DOE, Metamodeling, Pareto optimality, Virtual protyping, Response surface, Additive manufacturing.

Abstract: Lattice materials can overcome the need of light and stiff structures in the aerospace industry. The wing leading edge is oneof the most critical parts for both on-board subsystem and structure features: it must withstand to the aerodynamicloads and bird-strike, integrating also the anti-ice system functions. Nowadays, this part is made by different components bonded together such as external skin, internal passageways, and feeding tubes. In the present work, a single-piece multifunctional panel made by additive manufacturing will be developed.

Purpose: This work traces the development of a novel system of anti-ice, directly integrated inside the primary structure. This new-patented system uses a lattice core as a heat exchanger, as reported schematically in Fig.1.Using this sandwichis possible to obtain a light and stiff structure with a great internal thermal exchange surface. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM) can realize non-stochastic structures with controlled porosity.

Methodology: To establish whether of the design variable affects majorly the mechanical resistance of the sandwich panel, a Design of Experiment (DOE) has been designed. DOE method has been applied through FEM simulations on a NACA profile, using real loads from aerodynamic simulations. FEM model considers the outer skins modelled as shells and the lattice core made by beams. So that, DOE design variables considered in the present work are: cell type, cell length, beam section radius, shell thickness. FEM geometry (cell type and length) was set-up through a MATLAB code designed for automatize the FEM pre-processing.

Limitations: Due to practical constraint, this paper provide a limatatedview of all the aero-elastic behaviour.

Benefits: The adopted DOE allowed to build a full quadratic response surface that was used to optimize mass and frequency, leaving the maximum stresses under a threshold safe for yielding.

Full reference: Michele Bici, Salvatore Brischetto, Francesca Campana, Carlo Giovanni Ferro, Carlo Seclì, Sara Varetti, Paolo Maggiore, Andrea Mazza, Development of a multifunctional panel for aerospace use through SLM additive manufacturing, Procedia CIRP, Volume 67,2018, Pages 215-220.

Link: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2212827117311460