Fatigue and Damage Tolerance Skill

Purpose

Provide specialized fatigue life prediction and damage tolerance assessment capabilities for airworthiness certification and structural integrity management.

Capabilities

• S-N and strain-life analysis
• Crack growth analysis (NASGRO, AFGROW)
• Inspection interval determination
• Damage tolerance substantiation
• Spectrum loading analysis
• Mean stress correction methods
• Multi-site damage assessment
• Certification evidence generation

Usage Guidelines

• Use appropriate fatigue methodology based on structural criticality
• Select material data from qualified sources (MMPDS, ESDU)
• Apply appropriate scatter factors per regulatory requirements
• Consider environmental effects on fatigue and crack growth
• Define inspection intervals with adequate safety margins
• Document all assumptions and conservatisms in certification reports

Dependencies

• NASGRO
• AFGROW
• Fe-Safe
• nCode DesignLife

Process Integration

• AE-008: Fatigue and Damage Tolerance
• AE-021: Certification Planning