3581 - DAMAGE TOLERANT RISK ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR EVALUATING THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

Over the last 20 years, the United States Air Force (USAF) has evolved a methodology for using risk assessments to protect the structural integrity of aging aircraft. This methodology has matured over the last several years to the point where the products of risk assessments can now be used to effectively communicate the risk of a potential catastrophic structural failure to USAF leadership in a standard way. Examples of applications where risk assessment methodology have been recently used are presented along with guidelines for assessing the accuracy of the methodology in anticipating structural failures. The methodology has also been shown to be useful in establishing optimum inspection schedules for potentially cracked structures and for developing optimum nondestructive inspection (NDI) techniques for the expected crack population at the location of interest.