The emergence of civil aviation as a means of mass transportation is primarily due to the large scale construction of jet airplanes in the past 30 years or so. A large number of these jet airplanes is currently operating at or beyond their designed fatigue lives. Thus, the structural integrity of these aging airplanes has become an issue of major concern to all nations of the world. To bring the needed technical and research focus on the issues involved in the life-enhancement and safety-assurance of aging airplanes, the Federal Aviation Administration sponsored a symposium in Atlanta, GA, USA, during 20-22 March 1990. This symposium, under the title "International Symposium on Structural Integrity of Aging Airplanes· was organized jointly be the Georgia Institute of Technology (Center for Computational Mechanics) and the Transportation Systems Center (Cambridge, MA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Industrial and academic experts from several countries in North America, Europe and Asia, were invited to discuss their experiences and proposed solutions. This monograph contains the original papers that represent the expanded and edited versions of the talks presented at this symposium. This book aims to bring the collective experience, from across the world, with problems related to the structural integrity of aging airplanes to the attention of the professional and research community at large - in the hope that it may stimulate further fruitful research on this important topic of global concern.

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.

Discusses applications of failures and evaluation techniques to a variety of industries. * Presents a unified approach using two key elements of structural design.

The average age of aircraft in the U.S. Air Force is 22, making aging an increasing concern. The Air Force program responsible for maintaining the structural safety of its aircraft faces challenges, however, such as budgetary pressures, regulations, and communication issues. The authors sought insights on these issues by comparing similar programs in other services. Their observations suggest the value of clear policies, independent assessments, standard metrics, and open and clear communication.

Complete coverage of aircraft design, manufacturing, and maintenance Aircraft Materials and Analysis addresses aircraft design, mechanical and structural factors in aviation, flight loads, structural integrity, stresses, properties of materials, compression, bending, and aircraft fatigue. Detailed analysis of the failure process is provided. This authoritative guide examines materials used in aircraft construction such as aluminum, steel, glass, composite, rubber, and carbon fiber. Maintenance procedures for corrosion and aging aircraft are discussed and methods of inspection such as nondestructive testing and nondestructive inspection are described. Accident investigation case studies review aircraft design, material behavior, NTSB findings, safety, stress factors, and human factor involvement. End-of-chapter questions reinforce the topics covered in this practical resource. Aircraft Materials and Analysis covers: The aircraft--standards for design, structural integrity, and system safety Aircraft materials Loads on the aircraft Stress analysis Torsion, compression, and bending loads Aircraft riveted joints and pressure vessels Heat treatments of metals Aircraft fatigue/aircraft material fatigue Aircraft corrosion Dynamic stress, temperature stress, and experimental methods Composites Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Aviation maintenance management Case studies and human factors

The aim of this major reference work is to provide a first point of entry to the literature for the researchers in any field relating to structural integrity in the form of a definitive research/reference tool which links the various sub-disciplines that comprise the whole of structural integrity. Special emphasis will be given to the interaction between mechanics and materials and structural integrity applications. Because of the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the work, it will be of interest to mechanical engineers and materials scientists from both academic and industrial backgrounds including bioengineering, interface engineering and nanotechnology. The scope of this work encompasses, but is not restricted to: fracture mechanics, fatigue, creep, materials, dynamics, environmental degradation, numerical methods, failure mechanisms and damage mechanics, interfacial fracture and nano-technology, structural analysis, surface behaviour and heart valves. The structures under consideration include: pressure vessels and piping, off-shore structures, gas installations and pipelines, chemical plants, aircraft, railways, bridges, plates and shells, electronic circuits, interfaces, nanotechnology, artificial organs, biomaterial prostheses, cast structures, mining... and more. Case studies will form an integral part of the work.