Fatigue and damage tolerance evaluation of an aircraft pressure bulkhead repaired structure

This paper contains the fatigue life and damage tolerance analysis of dome shaped rear pressure bulkhead repair of a passenger aircraft as a PSE. The PSEs (Principal Structural Elements) or FFC (Fatigue Fracture Critical) elements are those which contribute significantly to carrying flight, ground, and pressurization loads, and whose failure could result in catastrophic failure of the aircraft. The result of fatigue life and damage tolerance analysis are to define the threshold and interval inspection program. This inspection program must be included in the Airworthiness Limitation section of the Instruction for Continued Airworthiness required by FAR 25.571. The threshold inspection will be defined using fatigue life analysis approach with the method of a Miner’s rule of formulation. The required input consists of the applied stress spectrum or blocked spectrum (stress vs. cycles) and the fatigue allowable S-N data (stress vs. cycles to failure). The interval inspection will be defined by damage tolerance evaluation developed using crack growth and residual strength analysis results.

Fatigue and damage tolerance evaluation of an aircraft pressure bulkhead repaired structure Keywords:

Fatigue , damage tolerance , PSE , pressure bulkhead , repair , inspection intervals