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AFGROW | DTD Handbook

Handbook for Damage Tolerant Design

  • DTDHandbook
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    • Sections
      • 1. Introduction
      • 2. Fundamentals of Damage Tolerance
      • 3. Damage Size Characterizations
      • 4. Residual Strength
      • 5. Analysis Of Damage Growth
      • 6. Examples of Damage Tolerant Analyses
      • 7. Damage Tolerance Testing
      • 8. Force Management and Sustainment Engineering
      • 9. Structural Repairs
        • 0. Structural Repairs
        • 1. Required Analysis
        • 3. Spectrum Analysis for Repair
        • 4. Life Sensitivity for Stress Effects
        • 5. Life Sensitivity Analysis for Hole Repair
        • 6. Blend-Out Repairs
        • 7. Residual Strength Parametric Analysis
        • 8. References
      • 10. Guidelines for Damage Tolerance Design and Fracture Control Planning
      • 11. Summary of Stress Intensity Factor Information
    • Examples

Section 9.0. Structural Repairs

The structural integrity of a force of operational aircraft is primarily ensured by implementing the periodic inspection and maintenance program defined in the Force Structural Maintenance (FSM) plan in the associated technical order (T.O.)-3 repair and -36 inspection manuals.  In addition to this formal method of addressing known or potential cracking problems, the structural integrity of individual aircraft is also ensured through the timely identification of new cracking problems and by implementing repairs that will return cracked structure to a safe operational condition.  This section is presented as a supplement to the other sections and only specifically addresses those guidelines applicable to ensuring that adequate damage tolerance exists in structural repairs.  Adequate damage tolerance implies that cracks do not reduce the structure’s load carrying capability below a predefined level throughout a required period of in-service usage.