Experimental and numerical analysis of a beam made of adhesively bonded tailor-made blanks

For aircraft structures, it is clear that the design and the selection of materials play an important role in the performance of the aircraft. The production costs are also important. The concept of tailor-made blanks (TMBs) is based on the use of dedicated blanks, made of different alloys and/or thickness in order to satisfy different demands such as an increase, if necessary, of local strength, stiffness, and damage tolerance. This paper describes the results of a study to assess the potential weight and cost savings of using TMBs in a typical aerospace structure. A bonded structure representing the floor beam of an aircraft has been selected, analyzed, and tested to validate the numerical and analytical predictions made with MATLAB and finite-element method. The results show weight reduction of 12% and 37% for two studied configurations, compared to the reference beam.