Structural Maintenance of Ageing Aircraft

Objective

BE95-1053 Structural Maintenance of Ageing Aircraft - SMAAC
Aircraft manufacturers as well as airlines and maintenance suppliers are facing the fact that the age of the fleets in the civil transport aircraft business are increasing dramatically. This is also true for airplanes manufactured in Europe. In order to maintain the high safety standard of today's aircraft during higher service life times, considerable inspection and repair actions have to be accomplished. There are different "typical" ageing aircraft phenomena, particularly multiple site damage (MSD) and multiple element damage (MED), which are not covered by the standard fatigue and damage tolerance approach. Other phenomena like corrosion may even add to or enforce these problems. The durability of aircraft structures containing MSD and/or MED will be reduced unless corrective actions are taken at an early stage. In extreme cases, such as occurred in the "Aloha" incident, the structural integrity of the aircraft could be compromised by the presence of MSD and MED.
In order to provide reliable time of inspection and of embodiment of preventive repairs for existing aircraft as well as better long term durability for future aircraft, the following main research tasks are conducted:

- Theoretical and experimental investigations to derive engineering models for the assessment of the initiation of MSD, growth of MSD and residual strength of structures in the presence of MSD or MED.

- Usage of both in-service and experimental/theoretical examinations for the assessment of deteriorating effects, which may increase the ageing aircraft effects in certain areas of the fuselage or wing structures.
The methods developed above may also be used for the assessment of the fatigue and damage tolerance behaviour of old repairs.

Programme(s)

• FP4-BRITE/EURAM 3 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 030105 - Technologies for aircraft safety

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus GmbH

Address

10,Kreetslag
21111 Hamburg
Germany

Participants (12)

AEROSPATIALE - Société Nationale Industrielle SA

France

Address

316,Route De Bayonne
31060 Toulouse

Aermacchi Spa

Italy

Address

Via Paolo Foressio 1
Venecono Superiore Varese

Alenia Aerospazio - Un'Azienda Finmeccanica SpA

Italy

Address

Viale Dell'aeronautica
80038 Pomigliano D'arco - Napoli

British Aerospace Airbus Ltd

United Kingdom

Address

Filton House Filton
BS99 7AR Bristol

FFA - THE AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SWEDEN

Sweden

Address

12-14,Ranhammarsv?gen 12-14
161 11 Bromma

Fokker Aircraft BV

Netherlands

Address

1117 ZJ Schiphol

Hellenic Aerospace Industry Ltd

Greece

Address

32009 Schimatari

ISTRAM - INSTITUTE OF STRUCTURES AND ADVANCED MATERIALS

Greece

Address

Patron- Athinon 57
26441 Patras

STICHTING NATIONAAL LUCHT- EN RUIMTEVAART LABORATORIUM

Netherlands

Address

Voorsterweg 31
8300 AD Emmeloord

Saab Aircraft AB

Sweden

Address

581 88 Linköping

Secretary of State for Defence - Ministry of Defence

United Kingdom

Address

Ively Road
GU14 0LX Farnborough - Hampshire

Universidade do Porto

Portugal

Address

Rua Dos Bragas- Feup
4099 Porto