Aerospace vehicles are designed to be durable and damage tolerant. Durability is largely an economic life-cycle design consideration whereas damage tolerance directly addresses the structural airworthiness (safety) of the vehicle. However, both durability and damage tolerance design methodologies must address the deleterious effects of changes in material properties and the initiation and growth of microstructural damage that may occur during the service lifetime of the vehicle. Durability and damage tolerance design and certification requirements are addressed for commercial transport aircraft and NASA manned spacecraft systems. The state-of-the-art in advanced design and analysis methods is illustrated by discussing the results of several recently completed NASA technology development programs. These programs include the NASA Advanced Subsonic Technology Program demonstrating technologies for large transport aircraft and the X-33 hypersonic test vehicle demonstrating technologies for a single-stage-to-orbit space launch vehicle.Harris, Charles E. and Starnes, James H., Jr. and Shuart, Mark J.Langley Research CenterAIRCRAFT RELIABILITY; DAMAGE; DESIGN ANALYSIS; MICROSTRUCTURE; LIFE (DURABILITY); AEROSPACE VEHICLES; CERTIFICATION; COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT; ECONOMICS; HYPERSONIC VEHICLES; X-33 REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE...

This recent book provides a detailed presentation of damage tolerance assessment and characterization methods for advanced composites, as well as an examination of the role of damage tolerance in the design of composites. Included are analytical models for different types of damage in different composite materials. Tables provide helpful reference