AGING AIRCRAFT AND LIFE-CYCLE ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT OF ENGINEERED SYSTEMS

摘要

Among the key lessons learned from research on aging aircraft over the past decade is the recognition that the methodologies for the design of engineered systems needs to be much more holistic and better integrated to meet the challenges of a globally competitive market. The objective of this paper is to challenge the fatigue community to take the lead in developing such methods for fatigue analysis, for use in the life-cycle engineering and management of engineered systems. To this end, a mechanistically based probability (versus an experientially/parametric-ally based statistical) approach is presented and discussed. Its use is illustrated through considerations of corrosion and corrosion fatigue in aluminum alloys in the context of aging aircraft. Its efficacy is demonstrated through a comparison between predicted probabilities of occurrence, evolution and distribution of damage and tear-down inspection data from the lower wing panels of a retired transport aircraft.