Design and Optimization of Aluminum

Structures for the 21st Century Navy

Dr. Brett Conner
Segment Leader, Sea Systems
Alcoa Defense
June 15, 2010

Agenda

Meeting Challenges with Alcoas Collaborative Development Approach

(ACDA)

Aluminum Design Innovation Leadership

Aluminum Design Development Approach

Design Challenges for the 21st Century Navy

Aluminum: Whats your reference point?

Legacy

Current

Future

Alloy

Primarily 5456

5456, 5083, some 6xxx (not really

new alloys). 5454 in elevated
service temperature areas

New alloys?

Product forms

Plate, extruded stiffeners

Plate, specialty extrusions including

multi-hollows

Legacy + Current + Advanced

for aluminum in ship
Hybrid Materials?

Construction:

Manual labor intensive stick

building

Panelization through the use of

automated linear welding

Advanced
lightweight
panels?
will depend
on innovative

Joining
technology

GMAW or GTAW. Mostly

manual

GMAW, GTAW, FSW, HDGMAW,

etc. More automation.

Marine plate
specs

AMS-QQ-250 or ASTM B209

ASTM B928

Design tools

Hand calculations, empiricism,

global stress analysis

legacy tools + FEA (more localized

stress analysis), Spectra Fatigue
Analysis

The shape of the future

design and construction

material and design

Legacy
+ Currentbetween
+ Adhesives?
solutions
the+
Advanced
fastening? +naval
Laser weld?
shipbuilder,
architect, the Navy and
TBD?
Alcoa
Multiscale modeling? Time-step
modeling? Prognosis?

Alcoa Innovations for the Designer

Alcoa Technical and
Parental Advantage
Audi A8 Challenge:
Rebranding for
uncompromising performance
and luxury

Airbus A380
Challenge:
Product expansion: develop
and product the largest
commercial airliner in the world

LM F-35 Challenge:
Develop and product the next
generation tactical fighter for
USAF, USN, USMC and allies

Solution: The Audi

Spaceframe
Material development
Product forms
Fastening
Design simplification

Solution: 7085 Wing

Spar Forging
Product form
Parts reduction
Strength

Solutions: Bulkhead and

Lift Fan Forgings, Eddie
Bolt fasteners, Engine
components
Product forms
Fastening
Strength
4

The Audi Story

Audi A8
1st Generation

94

95

96

97

Repositions Audi as luxury

brand
Rated safest car in its class
Received
rating from insurance
company for repairs

98

99

00

01

Reduced component and

assembly costs by 50%
Major parts consolidation
with large castings
More interior space than
predecessor
Faster than its
predecessor

02

Alcoa Spaceframe Technology

10 Year Strategic Development
Partnership
Co-developed new design
methods & capabilities
40 New Patents
7 New Aircraft Grade Aluminum
Alloys
New Casting & Manufacturing
Processes & Factory
03

04

05

06

07

08

Audi A8 2nd Gen.

5

Alcoa Collaborative Development Approach (ACDA)

- Collaborative IPT Teams (OEM, Alcoa, Military) Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Phase IV
Phase V

Part
ID

-Identify and Select Candidate Assemblies/Components

-Develop and Evaluate Conceptual Designs
-Finalize Conceptual Designs and Analyses
-Develop and Evaluate Prototypes
-Implement Designs in Production

1st
gate

Concept
Design

2nd
gate

II

Ex. Activities:
Opportunity
Gather geometry,
identification

packaging, load reqs

Develop concept

Final
Design

3rd
gate

III

Prototyping

4th
gate

IV

Production

Finalize part redesigns Develop prototype part

detailed CAD and
analysis

redesign options

Evaluate advanced

Prelim. evaluation of

design concepts

conceptual redesigns

Finalize total costs and

Down-select concepts for

plans for prototyping

fabrication and test plans

Produce prototype parts

Test prototypes and
approve for production

further development
6

ACDA
Phase I: Identify
and Select
Candidate
Structures

Opportunity
Identification
with OEM
What are the
challenges?
What are the
pain points?

Phase II: Develop and

Evaluate Conceptual
Designs

Gather geometry,
packaging, load reqs

Develop concept

Structural
Design

Finalize part

part fabrication and

test plans

Evaluate advanced

Prelim. evaluation of

design concepts

conceptual redesigns

Down-select concepts
for further
development

Phase IV: Develop

and Evaluate
Prototypes

Develop prototype

redesigns
detailed CAD and
analysis

redesign options

Manufacturing
Tech
Materials Data
&
Development

Phase III: Final Design

Analysis

Produce prototype
parts

Finalize total costs

and plans for
prototyping

Test prototypes and

approve for
production

Component testing
Product Manufacturing
Product Design and
Development

Advanced
Power &
Energy

Solution
Ideation

Design
Rules &
Tools

ACDA can be implemented during trade

studies, concept development, contract
design or even detailed design

Customer evaluation criteria

7

Agenda

Meeting Challenges with Alcoas Collaborative Development Approach

(ACDA)

Aluminum Design Innovation Leadership

Aluminum Design Development Approach

Design Challenges for the 21st Century Navy

Customer Requirements Addressed by

Alcoa Designers
No one knows aluminum structural design better than Alcoa
Light weighting of structures
Structural analysis and design
Cost reduction

Materials, design, manufacturing, assembly

Alloy selection/recommendations

Structural, thermal, electrical, corrosion,

forming, cost

Fractures/Failures

Joints: Mechanical, Adhesives, Fusion

Welds, FSW, LSW
Product forms (castings, extrusions, sheet,
Plate): yielding, fracture, buckling, wear,
corrosion

Material and Manufacturing Quality

Wrought, welded, extruded, cast

Fabrication and assembly

recommendations and
implementation
Corrosion issues and
environmental durability
Repair methods
Mechanical testing and material
performance
Prototype product manufacture
Surface management

Alcoa Design Technologies

Alcoas design technologies have been successfully leveraged
across multiple commercial and defense market segments
Passenger and bulk hauling rail cars
Transportation systems such as bulk trailers and intermodal
containers
Cars, trucks and busses
Commercial aerospace
Defense aerospace, sea and land systems

Design activities are driven by customer performance

requirements and standards
Alcoa has found that its design competencies and toolkits are fully
transferable to other market segments once we learn a customers
performance requirements and standards

10

Rail Car Design and Analysis Expertise

Cars made of 5XXX alloys

Designing to AAR (American

Association of Rail Roads)
standards
Static structural analysis
Dead load, live load, draft
load, buff load,
compression end load,
impact load

11

Shaker test simulation

Dynamic squeeze test

simulation

Thermal buckling simulations

Manufacturing cost
analysis/reduction

Alcoa has been building its rail car

design and analysis expertise and
experience since early 1930s

Rail Car Design and Analysis Examples

Coal Car AAR Compressive End Loading

Lateral Deflection

Von Mises Stress Plot

Coal Car Mode Frequency Analysis

12

Phase III: FEM Validates Concept - Confidence to go to Prototype

Transportation System Design and

Analysis Expertise and Examples
Bulk Trailer Design

Designing Intermodal Containers for ISO Standards

Internal Pressure Load Case

Deflections

20ft Dry Tainer

13

Stresses

40ft Dry Tainer

Automotive Design and Analysis

Expertise

14

Commercial Aerospace Design and

Analysis Tools and Expertise
The 2524-T3 toughness advantage considerably
increases the 2-bay crack residual strength

ASPAN-F Curved Panel Design Software

Alcoas high strength 7xxx stringers
significantly increase the 2-bay crack residual
strength in the fuselage crown panel

Local
bending

Crack length
Internal
pressure

[after T. Swift]

Effects of bulging due to pressure & curvature

Crown
Axial

Load(ksi)

[after T. Swift]

[after T. Swift]
2 - Bay

Circumferential

Full 2

Side
Panels

Stress
at Limit

- Bay Longitudinal Crack with Central Broken Frame

Predicted Failure
at Limit Load

Skin / Frame

% Improvement

2024

- T3 / 7075

- T651

18.2(

ksi

) 125(

Mpa

2524

- T3 / 7150

- T7xx

21.2

( ksi

) 146(

Mpa

16.6%

2524

- T3 / 7055

- T7xx

21.2

( ksi

) 146(

Mpa

16.6%

Crack with Central Broken Stringer

Failure Stress

- T3 / 7075

@ Limit Load
- T6

30.5

Failure
ksi

Improv
Example: Predicted Longitudinal fuselage skin crack under intact

stringer

2x24

- T3 / 2024

- T3

18.3

ksi

stringer

- T3 / 7150

- T77511

34.4

ksi

stringer

(
12.8%

2x24

- T3 / 7055

- T77511

42.5

ksi

stringer

39.3%

The 2524-T3 FCG

advantage enables
an operating stress
increase at lower
weight, or longer
periods between
inspections

- 40.0%)

Crown
Panels

ASPAN-W Spar Design Software

frame

max

in

2524

16 in. spacing

- T3

7075 frame

Ksi
14

15

14
Half crack length, a, (in.)

Skin / Stringer
2x24

2x24

2024

- T3

13

12

13

12
2a

2524

- T3, or 2024

- T3 skin

Fatigue crack grows due to

hoop pressurization stress
2

max

Max cyclic stress (

12 to 15
0

ksi

)=

, R = 0.1

Initial damage 2ao = 2 in.

0

12

16

No. flights (thousands)

Residual strength and crack growth

testing (integral panels shown)

Spar

Inboard stiffener view

Lower Wing Cover

As load levels increase, Alcoas
higher strength 7055 alloy shows
large weight savings potential

Alcoa Compression
Design Software

Upper
Wing
Cover

2 - bay fatigue crack

ASPAN-D Panel Design Software

exit skin crack

Outboard stiffener view

Compression Design Stress Levels at Ultimate

psi )

0.000

Load Intensity

90,000
35,000 lb/in

root

60,000

15,000 lb/in.

root
50,000
10,000 lb/in.

40,000

30,000
5,000 lb/in.

crack - tips
20,000

2,000 lb/in.

tip

tip
7075

10,000

- T61xx
- T77xx

7055

- T77xx

0
3

tip

- T6xx

7150
7150

5
Stiffener Spacing (in.)

large

small

large

wing

wing

stabilizer

9
Load Intensities Typically found in
Upper Wing and Stabilizer Structure

15

large

large

fuselage

fuselage

belly

crown

elasto - plastic
boundary
C433

- T39 (panel 6) @ failure load

elasto

- plastic

boundar y

Alcoas new
materials
show
improvement
in crack
growth under
lower wing
spectrum

3.00
C47A
2024
2.50

- T8X, 120% Load

- T351

100% Load

C433

2.00

- T351

110% Load
Crack Length (inch)

Maximum Allowable Stress Level at Ultimate (

70,000

Half

root
80,000

C433 T351
100% Load

1.50
C47A

- T8X

110% Load

1.00

0.50
MT Spec., W=7.8 inches, B=0.47 inches
Freq. = 10 Hz
RH > 90%
0.00
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Number of Flights

By working with customers, Alcoas rapid trade study tools and rapid testing help
identify benefits of new materials and design concepts

6000

7000

Commercial Aerospace Design and

Analysis Tools Example
Output from Alcoa Stiffened Panel Analysis System (ASPAN), one of a suite of
Alcoa-generated CAE tools, enables rapid design trade studies with new alloys,
materials & structural concepts
2-Bay Circumferential Crack with
Central Broken Stringer Failure Stress
Skin / Stringer

@ Limit Load

2X24-T3 / 7075-T6511
2X24-T3 / 2024-T3511
2X24-T3 / 7150-T77511
2X24-T3 / 7055-T77511

16

30.5 ksi
18.3 ksi
34.4 ksi
42.5 ksi

Failure
Stringer
Stringer
Stringer
Stringer

% Improvement
baseline
(-40%)
12.8%
39.3%

ASPAN -F Curved Panel Design Software

Alcoas 40 Year History with LNG Containers

Focus Areas:

5000 Series Material Characterization

o Wrought and Welded Properties
o Static, Fatigue and Fracture
o Room Temperature, -162C, -196C, 253C, and 269C
o Corrosion and Sensitization
o Multiple Thicknesss ( 1 to 9)
o Crack Growth Rate Under Ship Spectrum Loading
o Leak Rates & Penetrated Cracks
o Residual Strength of Cracked Specimens

Design and Manufacturing Studies

o Welding, Forming, Handling, and Assembly Guidelines
o Design Guidelines

Agenda

18

Meeting Challenges with Alcoas Collaborative Development Approach

(ACDA)

Aluminum Design Innovation Leadership

Aluminum Design Development Approach

Design Challenges for the 21st Century Navy

Multiscale Design: Atoms to Ships

Production:
Material:

Capital
Sourcing
Efficiency
Cost

Alloys/Tempers
Product form
Alloy composition and
microstructure

Requirements:
Mission
Cost
Operating
environment
Rules

Panel
Mechanical Behavior

Grillage
Plate

Scantlings

Extrusions
19

Alcoas Integrated Approach to Design

Inhomogeneity
Crack

2R

New Design
P
U
M
P

Number of Cycles

Functional Performance
Frequency

Manufacturing Process

Quality Process
20

Stress Level

Material Design

Quality-Performance Linkage

One important fundamental premise of this work is the existence of a quantifiable

link(s) among material processing, microstructure and long-term structural
performance

Category III (red)

Category I (black)

Flaw Size

Economic Limit

Life
Reduce initial flaw size population (initial quality)

21

Use of Weld Specification Discontinuity

Limits

Category I : Fatigue critical joints

Category II : Strength critical joints
Category III : Non Critical joints
Fillet Weld Discontinuity Limits Determined by Metallographic Analysis
Item
No.

Item Description
Category I

Category II

Category III

WT > 0.7t

WT > 0.7t

WT > 0.6t

L > 1.5 t

L > 1.5 t

L>t

CV < 3 mm and
> 110 degrees

CV < 4 mm and
> 100 degrees

CV < 4 mm

Weld Thickness (WT )

1

Fillet Leg Size (L)

2

Weld Convexity (CV)

3

22

Examples of ALCOAs Fatigue Design

Capability

Pressurized Truck Container

Problem

Cracking in weld area

Very expensive repair

Solution
High strains in area of cracking
Fatigue life similar to actual life
Multiple solutions proposed
Low cost solution implemented

23

Importance of Baseline Weld Specification

Links All Product Development/Production Components (Design,

Manufacturing, Quality)
Design Process Improvements (More systematic/rule based; Links
design/mfg to structural performance)
Manufacturing Process Improvements (More
traceability/monitoring world wide)
Quality Assurance Improvement (Consistent/Relevant
Measurement methods & traceability)
Consistency/Reliability
Enables Systematic Continuous Improvement

24

Importance of Coupon and Substructure

Testing

Simplified Tests Can Be Very Helpful and Timely (Instead of

Waiting for the Finished Product. Always look to anchor analyses
with reality as early as possible)
Account for Tests in Original Development Plan
Both Coupon Level Tests and Subscale Tests
Be Very Careful How Tests Are Designed, Executed, Evaluated &
Used for Correlation

25

Naval Structures Initiative (NSI)

First formal engagement and contract activity (in recent
history) between Alcoa and the Navy.
Support research and development of improved
lightweight aluminum structures for LCS and other
HSVs.
Applied research
Develop conceptual and advanced concepts
Develop engineering designs
Fabricate prototype hardware
Perform laboratory and field tests
Alcoa and the Navy created IPTs with members from
PEO Ships, NAVSEA 05, NSWCCD, ABS, Primes,
Shipyards, and Naval Architects:
IPTs were setup in March 2008
sub-IPTs for each LCS

26

Collaboration: Who should be involved?

Shipbuilder
Prime
Naval
Architects

Program
Office

Ship
Design
Managers

Technical
Warrant
Holders

ABS

NSWC

Meeting the Ship Construction

Challenge with Alcoa Expertise
Alcoa can provide the innovations in ship design and construction required by the Navy and
industry to create more affordable vessels that will meet mission requirements
Material Knowledge

Structural Design

Design Rules & Tools

elasto

Manufacturing
Knowledge

- plastic

boundar y

Alcoa is a leader in
aluminum alloy research
and development

28

Alcoa is a proven industry

partner for aluminum
design solutions and can
deliver trade studies for
alternative designs to the
Navy addressing

With decades of design

and production experience
in aluminum, Alcoa has a
breadth of knowledge that
can be applied to the
optimization of naval
design rules and tools

Alcoas advances in nextgeneration manufacturing

technology

Design for Cost

29

Once structures are identified as

opportunities for cost savings, Alcoa
can begin to develop concepts

Collaboration with the customer(s)

identifies requirements and targets

The baseline structure or component

must be defined and agreed upon

The baseline is then cost modeled

As concepts are developed they are

cost modeled

The concepts are then evaluated for the

above criteria

This process continues as concepts are

downselected and refined

ACDA Results for Naval Platforms

Solutions to reduce the shipbuilding costs and reduce the weight of

the ship
Each opportunity identified that required a solution in cost has resulted
in 50-70% savings in recurring manufacturing cost
Each opportunity identified that required a solution in weight has
received between 15-60% savings in weight

Immediate payoffs: solutions are being inserted into LCS and JHSV
Example: JHSV structural fitting
Phase I Opportunity
identified (April 2009):
Need for lightweight
cargo tie down
Must be ready for
JHSV-1: Dec 2009
30

ACDA
First prototype
tested within 90
days

Phase V Production
(December 2009 Present):
Contract award
ABS approval for JHSV
ABS Type Approval

Results:
50% lighter than
steel alternative
Nearly half the cost
Rapid development
cycle and delivered
on time

Aluminum Design Development Approach

Alcoa uses design in support of

Alcoa-OEM application engineering activities

Design and material trade studies
Joint concept development programs
Integrated product development teams
Alloy/product development activities
New Test Development for Coupons and Substructures

Designing from Publicly Available Handbooks and Design Tools is

Not Enough
A much deeper view of the material properties and design options are
required to optimize structure
The tools and material data for aluminum that many OEMs are designing
with are not as sophisticated as those Alcoa can offer
What you know is not the limit to what is out there
31

Agenda

32

Meeting Challenges with Alcoas Collaborative Development Approach

(ACDA)

Aluminum Design Innovation Leadership

Aluminum Design Development Approach

Design Challenges for the 21st Century Navy

Design Challenges for the 21st Century

Navy

Green Navy
Total Ownership Cost: Life Cycle vs Acquisition Costs
Power Demand
Unmanned systems

Green Navy
The Great Green Fleet
Fuel efficiency
Alternative fuels
Reducing the fleets carbon footprint

Finding solutions:
Lightweight structure:
Keane, Scher, Piskorski (2006) show weight savings factor of 0.47
for aluminum decking over steel baseline for a High Speed Sealift
vessel
Aluminum sandwich panels are 20% lighter than conventional
aluminum decking

Power generation: gas turbines

New materials

By 2016, we are going to deploy the Great

Green Fleet which is going to be powered
entirely by alternative fuels. And by 2020 the
Navy and Marine Corps will produce half of all
our energy from alternative sources. Honorable
Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, January 21,
2010

$, $ everywhere and not a buck to spend

"Total Ownership Cost includes all costs

associated with the research, development,
procurement, operation, and disposal of an
individual weapon system over its full life.
NAVAIR Total Ownership Cost website
Finding solutions:
ACDA: 50-70% savings in recurring manufacturing
cost
Design for Producibility
Fatigue properties in spectrum loading (both
initiation and propagation)
Design and material selection for corrosion control
Effect of lean manning on ship reliability,
maintainability and availability

Power: The Joules to Victory

Sensors to find and track the threat:
cruise missiles, ballistic missiles
Power to fight: lasers and rail guns
Keys:
Stiff aluminum structures:
Sandwich panels
Multi-hollow extrusions
I-core type structures

Use aluminums conductive

properties for power generation,
storage, transmission
Thermal management
Lightweight aluminum mounts

Unmanned systems
Advances in unmanned systems
are leading to the point where a
surface combatant can project for
far- reaching sea control and
power projection
The key for design:
The need to maximize the
unmanned systems carried per
volume and minimizing weight
impact
The ability to quickly deploy
these systems
This is beyond modularity

Key challenges:
Collaborative design
approaches for modular
systems
Alternative joining: fastening
and adhesives

ACDA developed marine

solutions providing 40%
cost reduction

Alcoas Aluminum Structural Design

Potential
Alcoa Can:

38

Optimize the performance of cost effective lightweight aluminum structures

through its deep expertise in aluminum structural design and internally
developed design tools

Leverage its proven integrated design approach to optimize aluminum designs

from the material microstructure through fabrication and assembly to lifecycle
management

Address aluminum marine structure design challenges such as stiffness and

buckling, fatigue crack initiation and propagation, structural health monitoring,
fire protection, corrosion, and fabrication while maintaining performance benefits

Design optimized aluminum structures enabled by new technologies in the areas

of GMAW, FSW, Coatings, and Alloys and Alloy Processing.

Collaboration Challenge for Alcoas

Aluminum Structural Design
Aluminum structural design competencies and design tools are a significant
enablers for cost effective weight reduction
Alcoa has significant resources and expertise for developing optimized
aluminum structures
Achieving next-generation breakthroughs in aluminum vessel designs will
require significant collaboration with the ship builders, researchers and
certification agencies
Alcoa stands ready to be a full partner in bringing its cutting-edge research
capabilities to bear on current and future structural design challenges

39