Cracking of an Aircraft Wheel Rim Made from Al-alloy 2014-t6

Numerous cases of failures of different aircraft components and parts with abundant data and in-depth analysis of causes, development and manifestation of failures can be found in the literature 1-4 . The check-up of the integrity of aircraft components is carried out by trained and competent personnel. The regular inspection of particular components is scheduled depending on the number of flying hours, lifetime and priority as specified by strict international regulations. The inspection is carried out by the use of verified testing methods. The most frequently used methods applied are the non-destructive testing methods: penetrants, replicas, ultrasound, magnetic powders, eddy currents, and radiographic examination 5-7 . If a failure is detected, the corresponding part or component must be repaired or replaced immediately. This paper deals with a crack in the rim of an aircraft wheel made from well known aluminium alloy 2014-T6 8-10 revealed during routine inspection. EXPERIMENTAL WORK