21st Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Melbourne, Australia, 13-18 September, 1998
Paper ICAS-98-5.1.2

SWISS F / A-18 FATIGUE TRACKING SYSTEM

Oesch S., Guillaume M.
SF Swiss Aircraft, Emmen, Switzerland

Keywords: swiss, f / a-18, fatigue tracking

A new fighter is presently introduced to the Swiss Air Force: The F/A-18 CD is planned to be in service deep into the 21st century. To keep the aircraft safely in the sky and to perform the required structural maintenance at the right time, a Fatigue Tracking System is monitoring the usage of the aircraft. Flight parameters and strain sensor data are recorded in each aircraft to appraise the fatigue behaviour of the Swiss structure under Swiss usage. The recorded data is downloaded from the aircraft after each flight and then it is transferred with the Swiss system to a VAX for the processing. A database is maintained for each aircraft and reports showing the structural health and fatigue behaviour can be created. Switzerland is following a combined philosophy for tracking and inspection, which is based on the experience of older fighters. First F/A-18 tracking results are available today. Such results together with theoretical studies and a Full Scale Fatigue Test will be the base to manage the structural integrity of the F / A-18 during the service life.

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