Damage Tolerant Design and Nondestructive Inspection - Keys to Aircraft Airworthiness

Damage tolerant design and nondestructive inspection are key tasks for ensuring aircraft airworthiness. Damage tolerance is the ability to resist fracture from preexistent damage for a given period of time and is an essential attribute of components whose failure could result in catastrophic loss of life or property. Nondestructive inspections define the maximum size of life-limiting defects that could be present at a given time. Inspection requirements are determined by the anticipated service loads, the desired service life, and by the damage tolerance designed into the structure. This paper discusses how damage tolerance and nondestructive inspection work together to ensure airworthiness by preventing failure from undetected manufacturing and/or service-induced damage.