Brazilian Air Force aircraft structural integrity program: An overview

Abstract: This paper presents an overview of the activities developed by the Structural Integrity Group at the Institute of Aeronautics and Space - IAE, Brazil, as well as the status of ongoing work related to the life extension program for aircraft operated by the Brazilian Air Force BAF. The first BAF-operated airplane to undergo a DTA-based life extension was the F-5 fighter, in the mid 1990s. From 1998 to 2001, BAFworked on a life extension project for the BAFAT-26 Xavante trainer. All analysis and tests were performed at IAE. The fatigue critical locations (FCLs) were presumed based upon ...