This book provides a state-of-the-art review of the fail-safe and damage tolerance approaches, allowing weight savings and increasing aircraft reliability and structural integrity. The application of the damage tolerance approach requires extensive know-how of the fatigue and fracture properties, corrosion strength, potential failure modes and non-destructive inspection techniques, particularly minimum detectable defect and inspection intervals. In parallel, engineering practice involving damage tolerance requires numerical techniques for stress analysis of cracked structures. These evolved from basic mode I evaluations using rough finite element approaches, to current 3D modeling based on energetic approaches as the VCCT, or simulation of joining processes. This book provides a concise introduction to this subject.

A daring, original approach to understanding and predicting the mechanical behavior of materials "Damage is an abstraction . . . Strength is an observable, an independent variable that can be measured, with clear and familiar engineering definitions." -from the Preface to Damage Tolerance and Durability of Material Systems Long-term behavior is one of the most challenging and important aspects of material engineering. There is a great need for a useful conceptual or operational framework for measuring long-term behavior. As much a revolution in philosophy as an engineering text, Damage Tolerance and Durability of Material Systems postulates a new mechanistic philosophy and methodology for predicting the remaining strength and life of engineering material. This philosophy associates the local physical changes in material states and stress states caused by time-variable applied environments with global properties and performance. There are three fundamental issues associated with the mechanical behavior of engineering materials and structures: their stiffness, strength, and life. Treating these issues from the standpoint of technical difficulty, time, and cost for characterization, and relationship to safety, reliability, liability, and economy, the authors explore such topics as: * Damage tolerance and failure modes * Factors that determine composite strength * Micromechanical models of composite stiffness and strength * Stiffness evolution * Strength evolution during damage accumulation * Non-uniform stress states * Lifetime prediction With a robust selection of example applications and case studies, this book takes a step toward the fulfillment of a vision of a future in which the prediction of physical properties from first principles will make possible the creation and application of new materials and material systems at a remarkable cost savings.

This book gathers papers presented at the 36th conference and 30th Symposium of the International Committee on Aeronautical Fatigue and Structural integrity. Focusing on the main theme of “Structural Integrity in the Age of Additive Manufacturing”, the chapters cover different aspects concerning research, developments and challenges in this field, offering a timely reference guide to designers, regulators, manufacturer, and both researchers and professionals of the broad aerospace community.

Many of the aircraft that form the backbone of the U.S. Air Force operational fleet are 25 years old or older. A few of these will be replaced with new aircraft, but many are expected to remain in service an additional 25 years or more. This book provides a strategy to address the technical needs and priorities associated with the Air Force's aging airframe structures. It includes a detailed summary of the structural status of the aging force, identification of key technical issues, recommendations for near-term engineering and management actions, and prioritized near-term and long-term research recommendations.

The handbook provides specific background data and justification for the detailed requirements of MIL-A-83444 and provides guidelines and state-of-the-art analysis methods to assist contractor and USAF personnel in complying with the intent of the specification and in solving cracking problems, in general, for metallic aircraft structures. Cf. Report Documentation Page.

Designed to help students get a solid background in structural mechanics and extensively updated to help professionals get up to speed on recent advances This Second Edition of the bestselling textbook Mechanics of Aircraft Structures combines fundamentals, an overview of new materials, and rigorous analysis tools into an excellent one-semester introductory course in structural mechanics and aerospace engineering. It's also extremely useful to practicing aerospace or mechanical engineers who want to keep abreast of new materials and recent advances. Updated and expanded, this hands-on reference covers: * Introduction to elasticity of anisotropic solids, including mechanics of composite materials and laminated structures * Stress analysis of thin-walled structures with end constraints * Elastic buckling of beam-column, plates, and thin-walled bars * Fracture mechanics as a tool in studying damage tolerance and durability Designed and structured to provide a solid foundation in structural mechanics, Mechanics of Aircraft Structures, Second Edition includes more examples, more details on some of the derivations, and more sample problems to ensure that students develop a thorough understanding of the principles.

The major objective of this book was to identify issues related to the introduction of new materials and the effects that advanced materials will have on the durability and technical risk of future civil aircraft throughout their service life. The committee investigated the new materials and structural concepts that are likely to be incorporated into next generation commercial aircraft and the factors influencing application decisions. Based on these predictions, the committee attempted to identify the design, characterization, monitoring, and maintenance issues that are critical for the introduction of advanced materials and structural concepts into future aircraft.