Abstract
The airframe structures of most fighter aircraft in the Royal Malaysian Airforce have been in service for 10 to 20 years. The effect of fatigue loading, operating conditions, and environmental degradation has led to the structural integrity of the airframe being assessed for its airworthiness. Various NDT methods were used to determine the current condition of the aircraft structure after operation of beyond 10 years, and their outcomes are summarized. In addition, although there are six critical locations, the wing root was chosen since it has the highest possibility of fatigue failure. It was further analyzed using simulation analysis for fatigue life. This contributes to the development of the maintenance task card and ultimately assists in extending the service life of the fighter aircraft. Using the concept of either safe life or damage tolerance as its fatigue design philosophy, the RMAF has adopted the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) to monitor the structural integrity of its fighter aircraft. With the current budget constraints and structural life extension requirements, the RMAF has embarked on the non-destructive testing method and engineering analysis. The research outcome will enhance the ASIP for other aircraft platforms in the RMAF fleet for its structure life assessment or service life extension program.
Highlights
A reliable and maintainable aircraft system is a mandatory requirement of any air force, with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) being no exception
Structural durability is considered as a quantitative measureand of the to inirequirements have led to the structural design philosophy of a safe-life aircraft for the tial fatigue cracking under specified conditions
The RMAF is adopting quirements have led to the structural design philosophy of a safe-life aircraft for the Suthe Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP), which is in line with the MIL-STD-1530D, for the Su-30MKM, the ASIP is based
Summary
A reliable and maintainable aircraft system is a mandatory requirement of any air force, with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) being no exception. The structure no longer assumes a perfect structural part, like the safe-life component, but rather assumes that the new part already has a defect that will eventually evolve, leading to catastrophic failure This theory seems too conservative, but analysis and prediction of in-service fracture and cracking instances can increase the integrity of the aircraft structure to a higher level of airworthiness. It depends on various factors, such as inspecting, repairing, or replacing the component and complete failure [7]. The NDT defines the methods used to identify the damage in the aircraft’s fatigue-critical locations, while the simulation is performed for virtual fatigue testing to determine the fatigue-to-failure rate
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