Full-scale testing of fuselage panels

A unique state-of-the-art facility to assess the structural integrity of aircraft fuselage structure was established at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center. The Full-Scale Aircraft Structural Test Evaluation and Research (FASTER) facility is capable of testing full-scale fuselage panel specimens under conditions representative of those seen by an aircraft in actual operation. The test fixture features a novel adaptation of mechanical, fluid, and electronic components and is capable of applying pressurization, longitudinal, hoop, frame, and shear loads to a fuselage panel. A high-precision, Remote Controlled Crack Monitoring (RCCM) system was developed to inspect and record crack initiation and progression over the entire fuselage panel test surface. A detailed description of the FASTER facility along with representative results from a variety of experimental test programs will be presented.