CONTINUATION OF THE AHS ROUND ROBIN ON FATIGUE RELIABILITY AND DAMAGE TOLERANCE

Significant changes in fatigue evaluations are now occurring in the helicopter industry. These changes are being driven by requirements for quantified reliability and damage tolerant design; the introduction of new materials such as composites; and advancing technology such as fracture mechanics, flight data recorders, and increased computer capability for fight test data. The AHS Fatigue and Damage Tolerance Subcommittee has completed an initial round robin investigation of the reliability issue, and is preparing to investigate the other changes. This paper identifies the issues associated with these changes, provides a general road map for the subcommittee to investigate these issues, and defines a new set of round robin problems addressing reliability, fracture mechanics, and damage tolerant design.