Fatigue and overstress indicators for ultralight and light aircraft

摘要

Fatigue and overstress of the principal structural element are crucial problems for all categories of aircraft. Light and ultralight aircraft have limited opportunities for the application of advanced structural health monitoring systems. That is why the autonomous SRFI may be considered as a reliable tool for the fatigue monitoring. Light and ultralight due to the action of the unallowable accelerations in manoeuvers meet the over-stress conditions for the components. The excessive stresses can lead to the deformation of the structure, loss of the aerodynamic characteristics and even to an aircraft crash. The overstress can be revealed by the simple proposed device, called here overstress indicator. It provides timely maintenance and repair of the aircraft primary structure, thus increases the flight safety.