PSI - Issue 53

Stefania Franchitti et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 53 (2024) 397–406 Author name / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

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system before attempting full load tests. Four full pressure tests were performed to verify the presence of hysteresis phenomena, and to compress residual allowances in the system. The BFA assembly has been integrated as reported in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5. BFA installed on the Base plate along with the Balloon and the Flap Plate.

The balloon has been placed between the flap surface and the flat plate. A pneumatic system has been connected to the compressed air source and to the balloon. The following instrumentation has been installed: • Mono-axial strain gauges on the two supports and on the EMA ROD. • Two three-axial strain gauges on the inner and outer stiffeners that connect the EMA ceramic hinge with the two flap hinges. They are the most loaded parts of the CMC body. • Three LDT, two on the inner and outer corner of the flap trailing edge and one on the outer support. Fig. 6 shows the displacements measured at both the supports in correspondence of the bearing. All displacements are within the 1 mm requirement. It is also worth to note that both the supports move very close to each other.

Balloon pressure [barg]

Fig. 6. Displacement of the supports in all tests.