Techniques for Damage Tolerance and Structural Integrity of Composite Structures

This section discusses the importance of damage tolerance and how different damage conditions are addressed in the structural design process to assure structural integrity and safety of composite aircraft structures. The regulatory requirements from the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) and Joint Aviation Regulations (JAR) for damage-tolerant design of aircraft structures are presented. Analysis and testing methods used for validation and certification are also summarized. Keywords: analysis methods; certification; composites; damage tolerance; failure modes; residual strength; structural integrity; testing