Second-Order Parabolic Equation to Model, Analyze, and Forecast Thermal-Stress Distribution in Aircraft Plate Attack Wing–Fuselage

During a flight, the steel plate attack wing–fuselage of an aircraft is subjected to cyclical thermal stress caused by flight altitude variation that could compromise the functionality of the plate. Thus, it is compulsory after a sequence of flights to evaluate the state of plate health. In this work, we propose a new dynamic model on the basis of the physical transmission of heat by conduction governed by a second-order parabolic partial differential equation with suitable initial and boundary conditions to analyze and forecast thermal stresses in the plate of a P64 OSCAR B airplane. Developing this model in the COMSOL Multi-Physics ® environment, a finite-element technique was applied to achieve the thermal-stress map on the plate. The achieved results, equivalent to those obtained by a campaign of infrared thermographic experiment measurements (not yet used in the aeronautical industry), highlight the evolution of the thermal load of the steel plate attack wing–fuselage, adding evidence of possible incoming fatigue phenomena to identify in advance if the steel plate must be replaced.