AIAA Structures Technical Committee

Steve Russell 10/23/01

AIAA Structures Technical Committee Meeting Notes From Friday October 19, 2001

The AIAA Structures Technical Committee (TC) met on Friday October 19, 2001 at the Denver Tech Center Marriott (Denver, CO), site of the 2002 AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials (SDM) Conference. Dr. Jay Kudva, Structures TC Chairman, presided at the meeting. Meeting highlights are provided in the following paragraphs, with major agenda items identified by numbered headings.

1. 2002 AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials (SDM) Conference

 Mike Mohaghegh is serving as general chairman for the 2002 SDM Conference, which will take place Monday April 22 through Thursday April 25, 2002 at the Denver Tech Center Marriott. Mike briefed the TC on the structure of this event, which includes the SDM Conference as well as the Adaptive Structures Conference, Non-Deterministic Approaches Forum, and Gossamer Spacecraft Forum.

- each morning of the conference will start with a keynote session: SDM on Monday, Adaptive Structures on Tuesday, Non-Deterministic Approaches on Wednesday, Gossamer Spacecraft on Thursday - keynote speakers are required for each keynote session - an additional speaker is required for the conference luncheon on Wednesday - SDM lecture on Monday evening will be given by Professor Ed Crawley of MIT, recipient of the 2001 AIAA SDM award

 The TC discussed potential candidate speakers for the SDM keynote session and the conference luncheon. SDM keynote speaker candidates include: Dan Goldin (outgoing NASA Administrator), JSF airframe manager from winning JSF team, the Chief Scientist from one of the AFRL Directorates, the head of the NASA Aerospace Research Office , an official from DARPA, or a key structures manager from one of the aerospace companies. Luncheon speaker candidates include Hans Schmidt (Airbus structures chief), Hans Ansel (Saab aerospace structures specialist). Action: Jack Lincoln agreed to provide Mike Mohaghegh with contact information for Hans Schmidt (Airbus) and Hans Ansel (Saab).

2. 2002 SDM Technical Sessions and Papers

 Jay Kudva reported the following technical paper information collected by Mary Mahler, 2002 structures technical abstracts coordinator:

- 163 abstracts received, 19 transferred to other committees, - 11 current rejections - 28 abstracts are still under review as of 10/19/01 - 26% of abstracts were less than 400 words, while the requirement is for 1000 words

 The Structures TC will be allocated 20 technical sessions, totaling 130 papers. As of 10/19/01, 21 sessions are currently formed: 19 from structures and 2 from survivability. There will be 10 special sessions covering the following topics: - innovations in structural multifunctionality

1 Steve Russell 10/23/01

- high fidelity analysis - propulsion materials and structures - deployable reflector structures - affordability - aircraft survivability - spacecraft survivability - stress concentrations - buckling and stability

A complete roster of technical sessions and session chairpersons will be available in the near future. Action: Mary Mahler or Jay Kudva will provide a complete roster of 2002 SDM technical sessions and session chairs as soon as it is available.

3. Additional SDM Conference Items

 The responsibility of SDM 2002 technical abstract review was not evenly distributed amongst the Structures TC membership. For SDM 2003, the technical abstracts coordinator will be asked to limit the number of reviews required from any one TC member to a maximum of seven.

 Harry Hilton noted the need for a system to ensure the quality of the technical papers presented at the conference. Presently, the abstract reviewers rate each technical abstract, but there are no controls on the conference presentation or technical paper. The TC recommends the following approach:

- starting 2003, require conference applicants to complete an abstract submittal form which requires them to identify the motivation for their work and its contribution to the state of the art in aerospace structures - starting 2003, request AIAA to install a word counter on the conference website; the word counter will cause any abstract less than 1000 words or more than 1500 words to be rejected - starting at the 2002 conference, distribute instructions to presenters asking that presentation charts clearly state the motivation for the work, its objective, and the new data it provides to the aerospace structures community

Action: Harry Hilton will draft speakers’ advice for the 2002 SDM conference and will find an example abstract submittal form used for past SDM conferences. He will also draft new questions for a 2003 SDM abstract submittal form. Jay Kudva will investigate the use of a word counter at the AIAA conference administration website, where conference abstracts are submitted.

 The technical abstract coordinator’s task is a large one, and Mary Mahler has done an outstanding job on the 2002 SDM Conference. The Structures TC agreed it would be a good idea to have an additional person assigned to assist with the duties for the 2003 Conference. For 2003, Steve Russell will serve as technical abstract coordinator, with support from a TC member to be determined at a later date.

 There is a recurring problem with “no shows” for SDM Conference presentations. One effective way to combat this trend is to require authors to pay the conference

registration fee when they submit their papers. Another option is to offer authors a discounted registration fee for providing the registration payment at the time they submit their papers. There is no firm consensus in the TC on how to deal with the “no show” issue, but it is a perennial problem.

 For the 2003 SDM Conference, the TC will strongly involve its subcommittees in the organization of technical sessions. The goal of the TC is to identify technical sessions and session chairpersons in the TC meetings at the 2002 SDM Conference. At these meetings, we will map the current subcommittees to prospective technical sessions and ask the subcommittees to suggest session chairmen who can be directly involved in organizing the session.

4. New Technical Committee Proposal

 Jay Kudva, Structures TC chairman, has received a proposal from the AIAA to form a new technical committee in Gossamer structures (ultralightweight structures). The Structures TC does not see the need for a new TC in this area and worries about a proliferation of technical committees. The Gossamer structures applicants will be invited to join the Structures TC, where they will have a separate subcommittee for this specialty application. Action: Jay Kudva will call Charlie Saff, a member of the AIAA committee governing new TCs, and articulate the case for not fragmenting the Structures TC. Jay will invite the new Gossamer Structures TC applicants to join forces with the Structures TC.

5. Multifunctional Structures Subcommittee Report (Steve Huybrechts, USAF Space Vehicles Directorate)

 Multifunctionality is becoming more prevalent in aircraft and spacecraft applications. There have been some significant multifunctional structures development successes in during 2001. In spacecraft, heavy and cumbersome cables have been replaced by multifunctional components that combine electrical circuits and structural load paths for significant mass and volume savings.

 The Multifunctional Structures subcommittee has organized a technical session for the 2002 SDM Conference. In addition, a workshop was conducted during 2001 on embedded nanodevices.

6. Aging Aircraft Structures Subcommittee Report (Jack Lincoln, USAF Aeronautical Systems Center)

 The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has completed a survey of the 32 aging airframe types in its fleet. On these airframes, the most prevalent aging aircraft problems are corrosion and cracking of structural components. The USAF defines an aircraft as “aging” once deviations from its original maintenance and inspection plans are required due to in-service cracking, corrosion, and other degradation mechanisms. Non-destructive inspection (NDI) is a continuing technology challenge in this area.

 The USAF has established a special project office (SPO), headed by a senior officer with the rank of General. The USAF is currently identifying technology solutions applicable to its aging airframes and developing 5 to 7 year roadmaps to transition these solutions to the fleet.

7. Outlook for Structures Research and Development

 One of the primary roles of the Structures TC is to continuously identify top technical issues facing the aerospace structures community. Jay Kudva has proposed publishing an annual white paper to identify these issues and articulate a high level strategy to address them.

 Work on the aerospace structures white paper will begin at the next two TC meetings, which will occur at the 2002 SDM Conference. Action: All TC members and friends compile their own list of top five issues in aerospace structures research and development in advance of the 2002 SDM Conference TC meetings. At these meetings, we will discuss the lists and formulate a plan to draft the white paper. Action: Mike Mohaghegh will seek permission to present the Boeing Phantom Works technology thrust areas at the next TC meeting. This will serve as another input on this general topic.

 For SDM 2003, the TC will explore forming two special sessions entitled “The Last One Hundred years of Aeronautics,” and “The Next One Hundred Years..” Feedback and recommendations from TC Members and Friends regarding the form and content of these sessions are welcome. Please call Jay at (310) 332- 8300 or e-mail [email protected]

8. Future TC Meeting Schedule

 The next Structures TC meetings will take place in conjunction with the 2002 SDM Conference in Denver, Colorado. The conference starts Monday April 22, 2002 and ends Thursday April 25, 2002. The TC has agreed to meet Sunday evening, April 21, in advance of the conference opening on Monday. An additional TC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, April 23.