We have been developing all-laser-welded honeycomb structures for high speed civil transport applications. These new-type honeycomb structures consist of two-face sheet, trussshaped corrugation core and special flanges at each panel side. The main future of this panel is for flanges which improve mechanical strength, enable panels to be joined each other and to provide curved surfaces for structures such as wings of aircraft.

A conventional 400W CW Nd:YAG laser system with a 5-axes optical fiber processing head is applied for welding the corrugated thin core sheet and the flanges. A 15kW CO2 laser is applied for lap welding between the core and the face sheets.

To examine the mechanical properties of this honeycomb panel, several types of tests are conducted. In particular, the tension strength, the tension fatigue strength and the local tension strength of the flanges show high performance.

The all-laser-welded honeycomb structure is therefore sufficient for application as a structural material for high speed civil transport.

Topics
Aircraft, Mechanical instruments, Fiber optics, Lasers, Materials properties, Welding
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© 1994 Laser Institute of America.
1994
Laser Institute of America
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