Overview of Fatigue in Aircraft Structures

Concept of Fatigue in Engineering Materials

Fluctuating load circumstances during aircraft operations will produce stress

concentrations that themselves do not exceed the structural limits of a
component. However, the cyclic/repetitive nature of these stress
concentrations maybe sufficient to produce component/material failure
through the phenomenon known as fatigue.

Contributing factors to fatigue conditions

 Cyclic nature of the loading – number and frequency of repetitions

 Level of the maximum stress during the cyclic conditions

 Type/Configuration of the loading during the cyclic conditions – eg.

static, dynamic, thermal, acoustic

Such loading circumstances can lead to fatigue failure via a variety of

common mechanisms such as:

1. Stress corrosion
2. Surface deterioration
3. Cracking
4. Modification to molecular structure that affects yield strength

Preventative Measures

 Design stage

 Prototype testing

 Operational Maintenance

1. Inspection and testing

2. Repair and maintenance schedules