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Fatigue-induced fracture acrylic-polycrbonate laminate aircraft

canopy (2)

Presentation · October 2023

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Ik-Sik Kim
Aero Technology Research Institute, Daegu, Korea
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Fatigue-induced fracture of acrylic-polycarbonate
laminate aircraft canopy

Kim Ik-Sik

1
Contents

1. Introduction

2. Results & Discussion

3. Conclusions
2
 Introduction
The cast PMMA canopy laminated on top of PC for the KF-16 aircraft was used in this work.
* PMMA : poly(methyl methacrylate), PC : polycarbonate

The aircraft had been operated at up to Mach 2.02 in temperate climates for over 24 years.
The pilot noticed the sudden crack damage of the canopy with a popping sound during a
full right turn at 32,000 feet (10,000 m, oxygen-poor).

There was the maximum temperature difference

(ΔT=77 K) between the inside (293 K) and
outside (216 K, -57℃) of the cockpit.[σ=13 MPa]

There was the pressure difference between the

inside (10 psi, 0.069 MPa) and outside (4.2 psi,
0.029 MPa) of the cockpit. [Hoop stress 0.9 MPa]

*For wind tunnel tests conducted at velocities of

Mach 1.6 to Mach 3.0 for various windshield
configurations at a specific altitudes and
exposure time, the surface temperatures varied
from 93 ℃ to 260 ℃.
3

c.f) *J.H. Lawrence, Guidelines for the design of aircraft windshield/canopy systems, AFWAL-TR-80-3003,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, February 1980
The fracture failure occurred in the PMMA layer laminated on top of polycarbonate (PC)
canopy of the aircraft during flight.

Fig. The cross-section structure of the acrylic-polycarbonate laminated aircraft canopy.

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 Aircraft Canopy : classified by different kinds of structures of cockpit canopies

√ Clamshell canopy (the typical 2nd-generation) is made up of three parts: a front windshield,
two side windshields, and an activity hatch.
The cross windshield and activity hatch are made of plasticized organic glass or
directional PMMA, while the front windshield is made of inorganic-organic glass.

√ Bubble canopy (the typical 3rd-generation) consists of two parts: a whole-arc windscreen and
an activity hatch. They consist of micro-crosslinked organic glass or directional PMMA.
※ PMMA is not suitable for aircraft flying above Mach 2.2

√ Integral canopy (the typical 4th-generation) has a single design.

It not only possesses a low radar cross-section, but also has a much better bird impact
performance than the earlier designs. It is made of polycarbonate (PC) (for F-15K, F-35).

KF-16 canopy as the 4th-generation is to get the resistance of the scratches of PMMA and
the impact strength of PC. 5
 The transparent material of cockpit canopy must possess the following three properties.

√ To have higher optical performance: good light transmittance for the pilot to have a
clear view at all times.

√ To possess sufficient strength and stiffness: to endure complex working loads, as well as
resisting impacts from foreign objects. (bird strikes)

√ To have high-temperature resistance and good aging performance: to a high

temperature environment due to aerodynamic heating as well as to thermal stress
deriving from alterations between high and low temperature.

With long-term use, crack defects in here appeared to be affected by the third properties.
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 Results & Discussion
1. Macroscopic observations

Fig. The images of (a) the crack end at the front (b) macro-cracks, secondary cracks, and main crack
at the front (c) curved main crack at the front (d) straight main crack (e) crack end at the crack
stop groove.
√ Main crack runs about 0.9 m in length to a slight curved line from (A) to (B) and then runs
about 0.7 m to straight line in the vertical direction to the right of (C).
☞ A slight curved line might be created from the interconnection of independently grown cracks
under tensile stresses. Main crack might start from this place. The uniform progression in straight line
might be produced by the fast crack.

√ Two crack ends: in the middle of the front part& at the end of the crack stop groove.
☞ Crack ends indicate two possibilities for the direction of crack growth.

√ Numerous macro-cracks were randomly distributed only on the front part.

☞ Cracks(or Voids) might be produced by the environmental factors like abrasive heat, not UV-light.

√ Three secondary cracks in cm sizes were observed in the same direction with main crack.
☞ Theses might be considered as the previous step of the main crack by dynamic lateral force.
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 2. Initiation of Cracks: Voids(defects or notch) formation

√ In observation, numerous cracks were found only on the front surface of the canopy.

√ Cracks were known to have formed from crazes through voids since crazes were
usually precursors of cracks in plastics: Voids → Crazes* → Cracks → Fracture

√ Influencing factors : UV lights, Heat, Humidity, Manufacturing defects, Scratches, and

Solvents.

√ PMMA polymer can decompose at a temperature over 200℃ regardless of N2 or O2.

Voids are produced through thermal degradation by the abrasive heat (root cause) with
air at up to Mach 2.02 and 32,000 feet(10,000 m, oxygen-poor), not thermal oxidation.

*Crazes:
- initiate at voids formed by the external environmental factors.
- are a form of localized plastic deformation rather than mechanical cracking.
- occurs mostly in brittle polymers like polystyrene (PS), acrylic (PMMA), and polycarbonate(PC).
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- are crack-like defects in polymers on the order of approximately 0.5 ㎛ wide consisting of a
web of highly strained micro-fibrils.
- generally grow symmetrically perpendicular to the axis of the applied tension or bending.
 EFA, 129 (2021) 105719, Crazing study

Identified with FT-IR, New broad peak near 1654 cm-1

: Formation of various C=C double bonds

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Crazing formation process: (a) numerous voids formation on the surface by chain scissions through
abrasive heat, (b) craze initiation, (c) single, isolated craze growth under the external environmental
stress, (d) bulk craze density growth.
3. Initial crack growth

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Fig. The microscopic image of numerous macro-cracks on the surface of the front part
Fig. The microscopic images of the macro-cracks (a) arranged horizontally, b) connected horizontally,
and (c) oriented vertically.
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√ Fig. indicates that numerous macro-cracks distribute horizontally or vertically on the
surface of the front part of the canopy.

√ The cracks more developed in the horizontal direction rather than the vertical direction,
which is because the thermal stress acted greatly in the longitudinal direction.

√As shown in Fig. b,c, some macro-cracks grown vertically or horizontally were connected
to adjacent ones on the same line and developed to the greater crack.

√ At first, Cracks grow from the center of voids to both ends and propagates symmetrically
under the repetitive thermal stresses.

√ Also, the growth of cracks very slowly proceeded as a circular radial pattern at the
center of the void for more than 24 years, showing the typical characteristics of the
fatigue crack. This circular radial pattern is known as the origin, meaning the actual
starting point of crack.
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 4. Fatigue crack growth and fracture of the main crack
The region of the zone Z was cut and separated into two pieces. The fracture surface was
washed with ethanol to eliminate contaminants, dried in an oven, and examined with
optical microscope(OM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM).

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Fig. The microscopic images of the fracture surface of the cast PMMA layer for
(a) the zone Z, (b) the magnified area of the left side of the zone Z, and
(c) the enlarged area of the right side of the zone Z.
 15

Fig. The magnified SEM micrographs of the left side (b) of previous Fig.
 16

Fig. The magnified SEM micrographs of the right side (a) of previous Fig.
 5. Crack ends of the main crack
One is at the front of the canopy(a) and the other is at the crack stop groove(b).
It shows that the cracks are consistent with the direction progressed from the primary origin.

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Fig. The SEM micrograph of the crack end (a) at the front and (b) at the crack stop groove.
 6. Stress analysis based on FEM
To investigate the stress distribution on the aircraft canopy during flying at 32,000 feet.
Parameter : Temperature fluctuations and Pressure changes

71.9MPa(0.77) 49.0MPa(1.38)

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Number in black means the stress distribution at crack tips by change of temperature and pressure.
One in yellow means that of only pressure.
Summary

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 Conclusions
Based on the findings of this study, our main conclusions were summarized as follows:

1. The voids on the front surface of the outer cast PMMA canopy were formed by the
abrasive heat (root cause) with air during the supersonic flight. They served as the origin,
the starting point of the crack.

2. The voids slowly grew vertically or horizontally to macro-cracks from thermal stress
during flying at high altitude. The crack growth represents the typical characteristics of
the fatigue crack: multi-origins, beach marks, and ratchet marks.

3. The main crack, which had grown further by being connecting adjacent macro-cracks
arranged in the vertical direction, was fast ruptured by lateral working load while the
aircraft was maneuvering when the fatigue crack growth reached a critical point.
The catastrophic fracture occurred fast in both directions from the primary origin where
the crack begins first. 20
 Thank you for reading.

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