Structural Health Management of Ageing Aircraft and Other Infrastructure

Large, complex and costly engineering structures are mainly made to last for a long period. This is specifically known for civil engineering buildings but also for heavy machinery, trains, ships or aircraft. Any of these items are used intensively. Long endurance combined with intensive usage leads to deterioration. Of course an engineering structure is designed to withstand deterioration for a certain forseeable lifetime. The longer however this lifetime becomes, the more difficult it is to predict. Such a structure may therefore have to be designed for maintainability. As we know, this has often not too much been done in the past and possibly not even today. The reason is, that most of the limited life items are considered for an extended lifetime, once their initial design life has been achieved.