Common Understanding of Life Management Techniques for Ageing Air Vehicles.

摘要

Aging aircraft are a growing problem in both military and commercial aviation. With the economic constraints of keeping current military and civilian aircraft in service, and the growing demand for air travel worldwide, the problems of aging aircraft will continue to worsen. The service life extension of equipment or a system over the initial design period is indeed a question of safety however, as the subsequent explanations show, this a question of efficiency and economy. In a general sense, aging aircraft are characterized by the deterioration of structural strength properties and the related problems and the increasing maintenance costs. Some of these problems are time dependent, such as corrosion, which also depends heavily on the usage environment. Others are usage dependent, such as in fatigue cracking, which is naturally caused by the mechanical loads that are introduced into the structure and also in electronic devices. Often the damage state of an aircraft is the result of both time (calendar years) and usage (operating hours). To maintain structural integrity, steps must be taken toward the prevention, detection, repair and prediction of the initiation and growth of aircraft structural damage. What are now the valuation criteria for a decision for or against the further extension of the service life of an aging aircraft. The paper concludes with a view of future technologies, which could contribute to an expense optimized useful life extension.