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