Fatigue and Damage Tolerance is the discipline focused on how aircraft materials and structures respond to repeated loading and other environmental factors over time. In aviation, this includes evaluating the effects of mission cycles on aircraft and propulsion systems, particularly cyclic loading, where structures experience repeated or fluctuating stresses, strains, and stress intensities. The discipline supports design, manufacturing, certification, and continued operational safety through the application of material science, fatigue and fracture mechanics, and life cycle management plans for critical aircraft, engine, and propeller components.

The expertise in this discipline applies fatigue and fracture mechanics analysis supported by material testing, modeling, and probabilistic assessment to address a wide range of safety challenges. This includes the development of certification methodologies, qualification of new materials and manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing, assessment of aging aircraft, risk assessment, and investigation of field failures. This work informs FAA policy, guidance, and training and is carried out in collaboration with industry, other government agencies and regulators, standards development organizations, and academia worldwide, often interfacing with adjacent technical areas such as metallurgy, advanced composites, nondestructive inspections, structural health monitoring, crashworthiness, and safety analysis.

Image

Dr. Michael Gorelik, Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor
michael.gorelik@faa.gov
17777 N Perimeter Dr 
Scottsdale AZ 85255