Experimental Determination of Aircraft Structural Material Life Envelope

Abstract

A new approach to reflect the relation of aircraft structural calendar life and fatigue life is established by pre-corrosion and fatigue test with 2A12 alloy specimens. The corrosion factor curve is fitted from the test, and then aircraft structural corrosion and fatigue interactive process during actual in-service environment is simulated. Furthermore, combining with Miner linear cumulative damage theory and the method of ‘calendar life tending to minimum’, life envelope is found. The result shows that flight strength is the key factor for aircraft structural life, and the envelope can be used to realize single aircraft structural life surveillance.