The paper addresses the problem of determining the breaking loads of aircraft structures using virtual testing, a method that reduces the need for costly physical tests. The results of the validation of an automated algorithm for determining the ultimate load — based on an analysis of support reactions in ANSYS APDL — are presented using a 30ХГСА steel load-bearing bracket as an example. A control full-scale test of the specimen was conducted at the standard loading angle, along with a series of numerical experiments varying the angle of the force vector application in the eye plane. A comparison of numerical and experimental data showed that the algorithm based on the maximum support reaction provides high accuracy but yields a non-conservative estimate with a discrepancy of +2.9%. Additional analysis of local deformation parameters revealed that control based on the first principal strain yields a conservative result with a deviation of –6.5%, whereas the estimate based on equivalent strain underestimates the load-bearing capacity by 13.9%. A plot of the ultimate load versus the loading angle was constructed, demonstrating a change in bearing capacity of up to 20% depending on the direction of the force vector. A combined approach to determining the ultimate load is recommended, combining an automated search for the maximum reaction with a check based on the first principal strain, which increases the reliability of virtual testing without increasing the volume of full-scale tests.

EDN  ENNFBT