Damage tolerant design of critical aircraft structural components
Abstract
A study of damage tolerant design as applied to the design, manufacture and inspection of critical aircraft components was performed. Damage tolerant methods of design assume that all materials possess discontinuities and heterogeneities, and therefore 'infinite life methods' cannot be applicable in 'real life' cases. In this study it was shown that fracture mechanics can be used to determine a failure criteria for a given stress and crack length as a function of fracture toughness. Also discussed was how material degradation and crack propagation can be affected by other factors such as thermal behavior, chemical behavior, and metallurgical changes. The research indicates the importance of inspection techniques that contribute significantly in detecting cracks for further analysis as well as crack growth rates for components under fatigue and residual stresses. In this manner, failure in critical components can be identified before catastrophic failure occurs through repair or replacement of the damaged part. The application of damage tolerant techniques and design approaches contributes to the safe and reliable design of aircraft structural components both before and after they reach the field. This knowledge, if correctly applied, could greatly improve current verification and certification testing procedures.
- Publication:
-
AIAA, 17th Aerospace Ground Testing Conference
- Pub Date:
- July 1992
- Bibcode:
- 1992asgt.conf.....B
- Keywords:
-
- Aircraft Parts;
- Component Reliability;
- Crack Propagation;
- Damage Assessment;
- Failure Analysis;
- Fracture Mechanics;
- Fatigue (Materials);
- Fracture Strength;
- Residual Stress;
- Structural Mechanics