Investigation of the Effects of Radiant Heat on the Structural Efficiency of Aircraft and Missile Components Made of Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Laminates

摘要

The investigation was performed to compare, by means of a controlled experiment, the effects produced by radiant heat with those produced by convective heat in aircraft structures fabricated of glass-fiber-reinforced plastic laminates. A complete 6-factor experiment was designed and analyzed statistically. The six main factors were heat source, size effect, shielding, quality control, post-cure temperature, and heating rate. Each factor had two levels; the experiment was replicated twice. Three separate studies with various thermal conditions were made with flat beams and cylinders. In all the studies, the analysis-of-variance method showed no difference between the effects of radiant and convective heat at the 5-percent level of significance. The difference between two manufacturers' quality controls were significant in some of the studies, but the difference due to shieldings was not significant. Size effect results were considered inconclusive because of some of the experimental problems involved. (Author)