ENGINEERING INTEGRITY SOCIETY

Manufacturing Effects & Fatigue in Aerospace
Messier Dowty , Gloucester - Tuesday, 16 October 2007

Steel, aluminium and titanium have been used for structural applications in aerospace for decades, and will do for the foreseeable future, despite the significant increase in the acceptance and use of composite materials. Aerospace has always aimed to reduce weight, but now also faces the pressure to reduce costs and development & manufacturing lead times, whilst still maintaining reliability and safety. Environmental benefits are also expected in all areas of production and use.

The industry has always relied heavily on calculation and was the first to adopt the FE method, but the use of CAE is increasing and a significant commitment to new designs is made on the basis of modelling before prototypes are available. Furthermore, the time taken to perform full structural prototype tests would impact on production planning and purchasing, so major commercial commitments are often made before CAE results have been confirmed by test. Time dependent effects, such as corrosion, and service issues such as foreign object damage, only serve to complicate matters.

This one day seminar comprises papers and discussions on the essential issues of monitoring the material, its residual strain from delivery through manufacture and the accumulation of fatigue damage to the realities of service life. Examples of relevant technology from other industries are included. Understanding of the effect of manufacturing processes and subsequent service loading on these parameters will allow them to be used to the benefit of engineers and customers alike.

As well as the presentations an important part of the day will be a visit to the Messier Dowty facilities and the discussions between all participants. The EIS aims include the exchange of ideas, as well as the dissemination of knowledge, and we very much hope that this tightly focused day on structural integrity will encourage participants to put forward their own ideas for wider discussion.

Programme