Comparative analysis of a structural aerospace assembly part and an unitary machined part using uniaxial strain gage and FEA

Abstract

In this study a comparative analysis was performed between unitary piece of aluminum aerospace application (machined by removing material) and an entity composed by several parts that have the same geometrical characteristics. To verify the mechanical properties were tested by uniaxial strain gage and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) with ANSYS. According to our results, the unitary piece has a better structural behavior (structural stiffness) with a reduction of the risk of failure and in manufacturing terms it presented a reduction of required time for the production and manufacturing processes. The analysis showed that in a constant load the unitary part presented less strain (0.0329 μ with strain gage, 0.0321 μ with FEA) than the assembled part (0.0509 μ with strain gage, 0.0599 μ with FEA). These results indicate that the single piece works better in this operating condition, shown to be a structural element with greater stiffness in comparison to its counterpart assembly. However, if the work part was required not to be rigid to absorb vibrations, the assembled would be better. Regarding to the reduction of time in the production and manufacturing processes, the results showed 1.48 h for the unitary part and 3.31 h for the assembled part, reaffirming the added benefit.