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. Fields of science engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringaircraft 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 Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus GmbH Address 10,kreetslag 21111 Hamburg Germany See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (12) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all AEROSPATIALE - Société Nationale Industrielle SA France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 316,route de bayonne 31060 Toulouse See on map Aermacchi Spa Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Via paolo foressio 1 Venecono superiore varese See on map Alenia Aerospazio - Un'Azienda Finmeccanica SpA Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Viale dell'aeronautica 80038 Pomigliano d'arco - napoli See on map British Aerospace Airbus Ltd GB EU contribution € 0,00 Address Filton house filton BS99 7AR Bristol See on map FFA - THE AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SWEDEN Sweden EU contribution € 0,00 Address 12-14,ranhammarsv?gen 12-14 161 11 Bromma See on map Fokker Aircraft BV Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 1117 ZJ Schiphol See on map Hellenic Aerospace Industry Ltd Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address 32009 Schimatari See on map ISTRAM - INSTITUTE OF STRUCTURES AND ADVANCED MATERIALS Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address Patron- athinon 57 26441 Patras See on map STICHTING NATIONAAL LUCHT- EN RUIMTEVAART LABORATORIUM Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address Voorsterweg 31 8300 AD Emmeloord See on map Saab Aircraft AB Sweden EU contribution € 0,00 Address 581 88 Linköping See on map Secretary of State for Defence - Ministry of Defence GB EU contribution € 0,00 Address Ively road GU14 0LX Farnborough - hampshire See on map Universidade do Porto Portugal EU contribution € 0,00 Address Rua dos bragas- feup 4099 Porto See on map