Exploitable results
The BRITE EURAM SMAAC (Structural Maintenance of Ageing Aircraft) project is a three year cooperative project, which has been partly funded by the European Commission. It involves twelve European industrial and non-industrial partner organisations, which represent the complete spectrum of aircraft design, operation, maintenance, overhaul and theoretical and experimental research.
When commercial aircraft structures approach the end of their original design life (ageing aircraft) they could be susceptible to certain phenomena called Multiple Site Damage (MSD)/Multiple Element Damage (MED) and Widespread Fatigue Damage (WFD). The initiation and development of MSD/MED may lead to a loss of required residual strength of the structure because of WFD and subsequently to failure of the structure.
The major objective of the SMAAC project is to generate methodologies and engineering tools for the assessment of the influence of MSD/MED and WFD on the airworthiness of an aircraft structure or structural component, and to derive novel methods to extend the design life of old and future aircraft.
The above mentioned problems were addressed by
a) collecting in-service experiences and data from teardown inspections, covering a wide range of areas on the fuselage and wing, identified to be susceptible to MSD/MED,
b) conducting a test programme to enable detailed studies on different MSD/MED phenomena, which included the examination of environmental effects, such as corrosion, on the development of MSD/MED,
c) developing and validating theoretical models to analytically assess the behaviour of structural components in the presence of MSD/MED and d) generating an overall approach and engineering tool to assess MSD/MED, which combines the collected data and the theoretical models.
The generated database provides access to a large number of tests on different structural components of different aircraft types. Furthermore the database includes records of in-service finding and tear-down inspections related to the MSD problem.
Analysis methods involving different degrees of complexity have been developed and validated by comparative exercises. As a final result a common European general approach has been established among the project partners and is used as an engineering tool for the assessment of MSD/MED and WFD.
The results achieved during the SMAAC project had and will have a significant influence to discussions with regulatory authorities regarding continued airworthiness. In frame of the forthcoming Ageing Aircraft initiatives the proposed methodology will enable revised inspection and maintenance programmes to be established in accordance with airworthiness requirements.
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