Fixing a use-by date for aircraft

Activity: Talk or presentationTalk or presentation at a conference

Description

Aircraft are susceptible to fatigue: due to repeated cycles of loading damage will appear and slowly grow in the aircraft’s structure. Small damages are no issue, but if they grow too large, parts of the plane could break off. So, to keep flying safe, aircraft need a use-by date, after which they should be overhauled or even replaced.

In this talk, John-Alan will explain how we determine this use-by date for traditional aluminium alloys, why this is more complicated for new composite materials, and why a crucial part of his work is breaking stuff.
Period9 May 2022
Event titlePint of Science 2022
Event typeOther
LocationDen Haag, NetherlandsShow on map