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By Craig McClung, Ph.D., and Joe Cardinal, P.E.
Today, travelers board commercial aircraft routinely and confidently, knowing that they are extremely safe despite the inherent risks of air travel. On very rare occasions, a crack can initiate and grow in a critical component after repeated loading, and this can lead to costly failures in aerospace and other industries. Advanced technology helps ensure the integrity of these highly stressed structural components during the design and certification process. Ultimately, this technology may allow space tourism aboard commercial spacecraft with the same confidence.
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Fracture Control Using SwRI’s NASGRO® Software
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Dr. Craig McClung is a senior program director in Materials Engineering with nearly 40 years of research and program management experience in fatigue and fracture, focusing on the structural reliability of components. Joe Cardinal is a program director in Structural Engineering with over 40 years of experience performing and managing structural integrity projects in a wide range of applications, including structural, stress, fatigue and fracture mechanics analyses. Both engineers work in SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. TECHNOLOGY TODAY 3
