Fatigue crack growth lessons from thirty-five years of the Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 A/B Hornet Aircraft Structural Integrity Program
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract As the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) retires its fleet of F/A-18 A and B model Hornets, it is opportune to reflect upon some of the in-service fatigue crack growth lessons accrued from 35 years of the aircrafts Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP). In this paper, the authors have selected a small number of the key lessons and observations arising from real-world fatigue problems in the RAAF Hornet fleet that have contributed to advances in the state of the art of fatigue crack growth measurement and prediction. The importance of the lead crack concept, quantitative fractography, fatigue testing, nucleating discontinuities, the physically short crack regime, as well as individual aircraft tracking are given prominence. It is hoped that this review of the metal fatigue challenges for a highly stressed lightweight structure that have driven research into fatigue crack growth will be valuable to those aspiring to make impactful contributions to the field and the sustainment of aircraft fleets worldwide.
Source: openaire · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Fatigue and fracture mechanics · Non-Destructive Testing Techniques · Advanced Sensor Technologies Research
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (39)
Show source-provided references
1. Department of Defence (2017) F/A-18 Hornet Weapon System, Capability and Acquisition Sustainment Group http://www.defence.gov.au/casg/EquippingDefence/FA-18-Hornet-Weapon-System.
2. Department of Defense (2016) Department of Defense Standard Practise – Aircraft Structural Integrity Program, MIL-STD-1530D Change 1, USAF Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH.
3. Simpson D. et al. The Canadian and Australian F/A-18 International Follow On Structural Test Project, ICAS 2002 Congress; 2002.
4. Conser DP, Graham AD, Smith CJ, Yule CL. The Application of Dynamic Loads to a Full Scale F/A-18 Fatigue Test Article, Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratory, ICAS 96; 1996. http://www.icas.org/ICAS_ARCHIVE/ICAS1996/ICAS-96-5.10.5.pdf.
5. Outcomes from the fatigue testing of seventeen centre fuselage structures10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2018.02.018 ↗
6. A crack growth-based individual aircraft monitoring method using a damage metric10.1177/1475921717738389 ↗
7. Verification of an aircraft fatigue life monitoring system using ex-service structure10.1016/j.engfailanal.2017.09.019 ↗
8. Main B, Gordon M, Weibler L, Barter S, Foster W, Molent L. Hornet Outer Wing StAtic Testing (HOWSAT) Program for RAAF Classic Hornet Service Life Management ASIP Conference 2015, San Antonio TX; 2015.
9. Burchill M, Barter S, Chan LH. Improving fatigue life predictions with a crack growth rate material model based on small crack growth & legacy data. In: Proc. 17th Australian Aerospace Congress, 26-28 February 2017, Melbourne; 2017.
10. Spectrum fatigue testing and small-scale crack life prediction analysis on a Critical Design Detail of a CF188 Hornet Component
11. The lead crack fatigue lifing framework
12. Quantitative fractography of fatigue and an illustrative case study10.1016/j.engfailanal.2018.10.013 ↗
13. A review of equivalent pre-crack sizes in aluminium alloy 7050–T745110.1111/ffe.12214 ↗
14. Typical fatigue-initiating discontinuities in metallic aircraft structures10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2011.10.017 ↗
15. The quantification of fatigue crack initiators in aluminium alloy 7050–T7451 using quantitative fractography10.1108/17579861111162860 ↗
16. Barter S, Molent L. Investigation of an in-service crack subjected to aerodynamic buffet and manoeuvre loads and exposed to a corrosive environment. In: Proc 28th International Congress Of The Aeronautical Sciences, Brisbane; 2012.
17. Managing airframe fatigue from corrosion pits – A proposal10.1016/j.engfracmech.2014.09.001 ↗
18. Lessons from a fatigue prediction challenge for an aircraft wing root shear tie post10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2019.02.007 ↗
19. ASTM International (2011) Standard Test Method for Measurement of Fatigue Crack Growth Rates, E647-11 Appendix X.3, United States.
20. White · 2019
21. Anon. (2018) NASGRO v9.0, www.swri.org/consortia/nasgro South West Research Institute (SwRI), United States.
22. A crack growth based individual aircraft monitoring method utilizing a damage metric10.1177/1475921717738389 ↗
23. Numerical analysis of crack propagation in cyclic-loaded structures10.1115/1.3609637 ↗
24. Schwarmann · 1985
25. Burchill M, Barter S, Chan LH. Improving fatigue life predictions with a crack growth rate material model based on small crack growth & legacy data. In: Proc 17th Australian Aerospace Congress, 26-28 February 2017, Melbourn; 2017.
26. Closure measurement and analysis for small cracks from natural discontinuities in an aluminium alloy
27. Walker KF, Barter SA. The critical importance of correctly characterising fatigue crack growth rates in the threshold regime. In: 26th ICAF Symposium – Montréal, Canada, 1–3 June 2011; 2011.10.1007/978-94-007-1664-3_20 ↗
28. The equivalence of EPS and EIFS based on the same crack growth life data10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.05.009 ↗
29. ACIL Allen Consulting (2015) DST Economic Impact Case Studies – Establishing the Broad Economic Value of the Defence Science and Technology Program, https://acilallen.com.au/uploads/files/projects/190/ACILAllen_EconValueDST_2016.pdf.
30. Interpreting fatigue test results using a probabilistic fracture approach10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2005.01.006 ↗
31. Alternate methods for derivation of safe life limits for a 7050–T7451 aluminium alloy structure10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2014.12.012 ↗
32. A study of fatigue variability in Aluminium Alloy 7050–T745110.1016/j.ijfatigue.2016.07.004 ↗
33. Fitzgibbon J. Defence Expertise Saves $400M on Hornet Upgrade, Department of Defence Media Release, 4 September 2008; 2008.
34. Design and Airworthiness Requirements for Service Aircraft – Aeroplanes (1983) Defence Standard 00-970, Vol. 1 No. 1, December 1983.
35. Structural health monitoring of agile military aircraft
36. A History of Tracking Fatigue of the RAAF F/A-18 Hornet
37. The comparison of complex load sequences tested at several stress levels by fractographic examination10.1016/j.engfailanal.2004.09.007 ↗
38. Mills T, Molent L. The RAAF F/A-18 Mission Severity Monitoring Program V2, DSTO-TR-2601; 2011.
39. Quantification of the fatigue severity of porosity in aluminium alloy 7050–T7451 thick plate10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2018.05.019 ↗