Japan tried to replace the fasteners with a glue to connect the composite structure of the fighter

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According to the US Aviation Weekly and Space Technology website reported on November 20, 2018, Japanese engineers are working to replace fasteners with glue and use composite materials as the bearing structure of fighters like skins.

A full-size midair fuselage section is undergoing strength testing as part of the technical acquisition of the Future Fighter Project in Japan. The test piece is made of modules in which the composite skin is glued to the composite frame and beam interconnected by the adhesive.

An official of the Japan Defense Agency Equipment Agency (ATLA), who is responsible for this work with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), said that although the assessment has not yet been completed, no major problems have occurred so far. The test will be completed on March 31, 2019. The official said that because of technical difficulties, testing work may take more time.

According to an analysis by Japanese engineers, one of the key factors limiting the widespread use of composite load-bearing structures is that such materials are prone to high scrap rates due to drilling. But if glue is used instead of the rivet, this problem is almost non-existent, because the need for drilling will be very small.

This mid-airframe test sample was designed and built for a future concept fighter based on ATLA. The Future Fighter is a large combat aircraft that will enter service in the 1930s. The Japanese government is considering alternatives to independent design including joint international R&D, but with other countries, R&D aircraft can still use Japan's accumulated technical knowledge as expected.

MHI built this mid-body in FY2017. The sample is 8.6 meters (28.2 feet) wide and 5.2 meters long. A smaller glued composite structure has been previously tested for evaluation. Thanks to advanced bonding technology, the current fuselage section is easier to manufacture and has fewer structural components than the fuselage sections made using the prior art.

The official said at the ATLA technical seminar that the test sample has passed the test of limiting the load, which is the maximum that may occur in flight, but it is not the ultimate load, which is 50% larger than the limit load.

So far, engineers have not seen any signs of damage at the junction of the adhesive and adjacent materials. As previously described by ATLA, the various components of the sample are separately fabricated in an autoclave and then bonded together under pressure to complete the assembly.

In addition to creating opportunities for the promotion and application of composite materials, the biggest direct benefit of bonding technology is weight loss. The glue is lighter in weight than the fasteners and the components do not need to be reinforced around the holes.

According to ATLA, the structural components being tested are 10% lighter than the same structure made using fastener technology, which means that people are taking a step forward in the application of lightweight materials. However, the department declined to disclose the specific value of weight loss using composite materials.

The fuselage still uses metal material on the belly to absorb complex loads from the landing gear, a task that composites cannot accomplish. The weapon bay, also located in the lower part of the middle fuselage, also needs to be made of metal.

Fatigue testing is also needed for this Japanese technology, but so far no funding has been provided. This type of work should be done on smaller scale samples to control the size and cost of the required cooling facilities.

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