ASTM International’s general aviation committee, F44, is developing a proposed standard that will establish a new practice for determining safe-life, inspection threshold, and reoccurring inspection intervals for airplanes, the standards-setting organization announced last week.
A structure’s safe-life means it has been assessed for repeated loads of varying magnitude that are expected during its service life without detectable cracks, according to the FAA.
“The proposed standard practice provides guidance material for defining factors used to determine inspections or replacement intervals for airplane components, specifically based on cyclic test, fatigue analysis, and damage tolerance analysis,” said A.K.M. Haque, a senior specialist engineer at Textron Aviation and an ASTM International member.
F44 is seeking participation in the development of the standard from those who have the background to join in detailed technical discussions on airplane structural design and certification.