Without the vertical stabiliser it is likely unable to carry out any of its original design aims (fly to a target, manoeuvre, drop bombs etc.). This aircraft has obviously suffered a significant loss of structural integrity. Importantly, it also identifies that structural integrity is not just concerned with safe operation of structures in normal conditions, but also that they should be able to fail safely.įor example, is this good or bad structural integrity (again from Wikipedia)?: I think that this is a very helpful definition. Items are constructed with structural integrity to prevent catastrophic failure” It assures that the construction will perform its designed function during reasonable use, for as long as its intended life span. “Structural integrity is the ability of an item-either a structural component or a structure consisting of many components-to hold together under a load, including its own weight, without breaking or deforming excessively.
Where google and academic sources let us down, as usual Wikipedia provides a reasonable definition of structural integrity: Given this lack of information, I thought that this might be a good place to provide a brief introduction to what structural integrity is, and why specialists in structural integrity are required.
A search on Amazon shows that there isn’t even an introductory textbook. A google search shows a few references to structural integrity in a mechanical or aeronautical context, a lot of engineering companies claiming to provide structural integrity services and not much else. At university I never even heard the phrase “structural integrity” let alone learnt anything about it. The company I work for specialises in Structural Integrity, which is a niche area of Structural Engineering.
0 kommentar(er)
