Technical, Safety and Economical Aspects of Considering Repair to Aircraft Structures

Abstract

The design of repair for airframe structural damage requires a working knowledge of the material properties and it’s applications, the nature of structural loading and deformation and principles of joint design. The structures engineers who have those knowledge will be able to rectify the damaged aircraft structures with adequate and timely repairs. The airplane Manufacturer Structures Engineer utilises recognised engineering principles, approved material allowable and state of the art fatigue design technology to produce an airplane capable of assuring a high level of fleet reliability while the Airline or MRO Structures engineer is limited by the parameters of the local structure in the damaged area and must design repairs to restore the structural integrity with limited resources under stringent maintenance deadlines and often during unscheduled downtime. Therefore, structurally safe and economical operations of civil transport airplanes are a highly complex team effort which requires early and on-going operation between the Airline and Manufacturer Structures Engineers. This paper outlines the demanding tasks experienced by the Airline Structures Engineer and provides an overview the challenging tasks when considering repair to aircraft structures in the aspects of technical, safety and cost effectiveness.