Metal Fatigue

[Ingeniero]

Could anybody help me with some research I have to do as part of my university studies?

I need to research fatigue characteristics and types of deterioration of aluminium and steel when used on aircraft.

Also, what does this fatigue look like when inspected and how can it be minimised?

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give me!

[Dodo56]

You could try asking nicely to some aero NDT specialists.

Start here: Aerospace NDT - Non Destructive Testing (http://www.aviation-database.com/Aeropsace_NDT_Non_Destructive_Testing.htm)

As for minimising it, MRO's don't have much scope for creativity as all inspections, rectifications and treatments are laid down by the manufacturer's manuals and deviation is not permitted. Do some research into "CPCP" and you may fnd some avenues for investigation.

[Ingeniero]

Thanks for that Dodo, helped a lot!

[stressmerchant]

Not sure if this will help, but the old Mil handbook 5 had a lot of data on the fatigue properties of aerospace metals. Mil-HDBK 5 has now been superceded by a civilian equivalent, but the common aircraft metals have not changed.

You can access the old versions of Mil-Hdbk 5 at:
ASSIST-QuickSearch - Basic Profile (http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/basic_profile.cfm?ident_number=53876)