Chapter 10 - The Design Process

Abstract

This chapter throws the attention on the design process. The design of composite structures needs a different approach than what is used for metal structure. The probability of a safe flight involves the probability of preserved structural integrity, which is a very important aspect of structural design. Safety also forces common accidental damage initiation to be ‘‘contained’’ to region 4 or below with a high probability for many reasons. Moreover, the design of ultimate strength critical composite structure is all by itself considerably more complicated than what the process is for more conventional aluminum structure. Design of ultimate strength critical composite structure is considerably more complicated than what the process is for. More conventional aluminum structure is to determine a criterion for desired damage tolerance in terms of a quality associated with one type of damage. Safety requires an unconditional search for substantial, well-defined damage tolerance and a good, steadily improving understanding of the threat environment. Finally, composite structural design, whether critical for damage tolerance or not, requires that the safety aspects of integrity with structural damage is recognized as a primary design concern.