Structural Integrity of the Aircraft Interior Spare Parts Produced by Additive Manufacturing

In this paper, the results obtained for the structural integrity of two real-life aircraft interior parts produced by using Ultem 9085 and the fused deposition modeling (FDM) are presented. Numerical simulation was used to perform static mechanical analysis of the class divider subjected to the case of the most critical load. By using a simple beam model, it was identified that the most efficient way of increasing the bending stiffness (required to pass the most crucial load case test) would be to increase the part's width of the class divider. Mechanical testing of the parts was performed in vertical and horizontal load directions to supplement the numerical results. For the class divider, it was testified that the 3D-printed part would not fail under the most critical load case. For the folding table printed as a honeycomb structure, when loaded at the tip, the critical load of 900 N was acceptable, and as it was shown, there was significant potential for further optimization of the structure to either increase the maximum load or reduce the weight for any given load.

Automated summary

This paper presents the results of structural integrity tests on two aircraft interior parts made from Ultem 9085 using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Numerical simulation and mechanical testing were conducted to analyze the strength and load-bearing capacity of the parts. The study found that increasing the width of the class divider effectively increased its bending stiffness, and the 3D-printed parts passed the most critical load test. The folding table, printed as a honeycomb structure, had an acceptable critical load of 900 N and showed potential for further optimization.