RESEARCH ON PRACTICAL DAMAGE TOLERANCE METHODS FOR ROTORCRAFT STRUCTURES

The purpose of this paper is to present a U.S. Rotorcraft Damage Tolerance (RCDT) Roadmap for rotorcraft-specific research to support advisory material and industry implementation of practical damage tolerance methods for metallic structural designs. Each of the research areas will build on previous damage tolerance work done in the fixed-wing and engine communities and focus on unique rotorcraft issues such as dynamic components with high-cycle fatigue, complex loading spectrums, large variations in mission types, and unique inspection requirements. The RCDT Roadmap was a collaborative effort between industry and government. A research team with representatives from the FAA and RITA working under a cooperative agreement with the government National Rotorcraft Technology Center (NRTC) developed the Roadmap. The Roadmap helps focus RCDT research and leverage funding between the industry and government organizations to make efficient use of the limited funds available in an environment of shrinking R&D budgets. The paper describes ten areas of research on the RCDT Roadmap.