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The meaning of life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

J. W. Bristow
J. W. Bristow*
Affiliation:
Structures and Materials Department, Safety Regulation Group, Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport, UK
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Abstract

'Life extension’ is the theme of this paper. However, unless there is a clear understanding of what ‘life’ means it is not readily obvious as to the appropriate means to adopt for its ‘extension'. This paper will explore some of the background to the meaning of life and the means being adopted to extend it for fixed wing civil transport aircraft. The focus will be on the safety of airframe structures from a regulatory viewpoint.

A comparative review is made of the evolution, on both sides of the Atlantic, of civil aviation requirements for the fatigue, failsafe and damage tolerance design of structures. Definitions of life are discussed in the context of recent developments of ageing aircraft structural programmes. These definitions are accompanied by an extensive reference list.

Example results are presented from a recent research study which compares the performance of a number of fracture mechanics analysis methods with conventional fatigue endurance approaches to the prediction of lives. The work was carried in a way directly representative of the current aircraft design environment. It was undertaken by three separate aircraft manufacturers and applied to a range of aircraft structural features that were not necessarily originally designed to damage tolerant principles.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 104 , Issue 1036 , June 2000 , pp. 264 - 270
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2000 

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