Nowlan and Heap Reliability Centered Maintenance Appendix 3 Pages 385 - 387

The following is an extract from Nowlan and Heaps book Reliability Centered maintenance

AUDITING THE ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE

Auditing of the structure program consists of a review of the ratings and class numbers used
to establish the initial inspection interval for each structurally significant item. Both the
auditor and the analysts must have a clear understanding of the difference between damagetolerant and safe-life structure, the rating factors that apply in each case, the basis for rating
each factor, and the basis for converting the final class number into an inspection interval.
Some members of the working group may have more difficulty than others in grasping the
distinction between resistance to failure and residual strength. Are all members of the
working group using the same definition of fatigue life, and are the manufacturer's data
expressed in these terms? Was the conversion of test data into safe-life limits based on an
adequate scatter factor?
The definition of a structurally significant item is one of the most important aspects of the
analysis. Is the basis for this definition clearly understood by the working group? Are the
significant items generally confined to primary structure, or is needless effort being devoted
to evaluation of much of the secondary structure as well? Has adequate consideration been
given to the possibility of multiple failures at the same site? If the designations are correct,
most of the significant items will represent small localized areas, rather than whole structural
members; otherwise each item will require much more inspection time in the continuing
program. Has the manufacturer's engineering department participated in the identification of
significant items? No one else is in a position to identify the structural elements most
susceptible to fatigue failure and the effect of such failures on the strength of the assembly.
If the structure includes any new material or manufacturing processes or is to be operated
under any new conditions, the inspection intervals will be far more conservative. Even with
familiar materials and conditions, however, the test data must be data for this production
model. Is a fatigue test being conducted for the whole structure, and will preliminary results
be available in time for use in developing the initial program? Will inspection findings and
any failure data from the flight-test program be available? The fatigue data should be
examined to determine whether the flight-load profile is realistic. The usual test method is
flight cycles; is the conversion to operating hours realistic for the intended operating
environment?
While structural strength and fatigue life are the manufacturer's responsibility, the operating
organization is concerned in these matters as well. The working-group members must
therefore have enough information about the design and the test results to be able to evaluate
and question the manufacturer's maintenance recommendations. One point the auditor should
check at an early stage is whether there is adequate interaction between the manufacturer's
and the operator's representatives to provide for full participation by all members. Before
work begins there must be general agreement on the basis for the selection of significant
items and the basis on which each factor will be rated. A sample of structurally significant
items and their ratings should be audited to make sure they correspond to this agreement
UOW ENGG 960

Nowlan and Heap Reliability Centered Maintenance Appendix 3 Pages 385 - 387

before significant items are selected for the whole structure. Do the ratings give proper
recognition to areas prone to corrosion as a result of their location? Has external detectability
been properly considered? What was the basis for converting class numbers to intervals? Are
the intervals similar to those in current use for other aircraft?
The number of structurally significant items on an airplane will depend on the size of the
airplane, the size of the area designated as significant, and in some cases on the number of
ways it can be accessed. Has the exact location of each significant item been clearly
designated? Have photographs been provided which show the designated items? The working
group should verify the entire list of significant items by inspection of an airplane in its fully
assembled configuration. Some items assigned visual inspection may in fact be hidden
beneath other structural elements or behind installations. In this case x-ray inspection may
have to be specified, or some other approach to the area may have to be employed for this
significant item. The tasks themselves should be audited to ensure that the inspection plan as
a whole does not include unnecessarily expensive or sophisticated techniques. Is x-ray
inspection, for example, limited to areas in which it is known to be useful, or are all items
covered in the hope that it will prove useful?
The basic inspection plan covers only structurally significant items. However, it will be
supplemented by general inspections of nonsignificant structure as part of the zonal program,
pre-flight walk-around inspections, and general inspections of the external structure. The
structure program should therefore be reviewed in connection with these other programs,
both for any obvious conflicts and to ensure that all nonsignificant portions of the structure
have been accounted for. Has external structure that is not visible from the ground been taken
into account? Do the inspections assigned to structural elements in systems and powerplant
items take into account the other inspection requirements of these items?

NON- RCM PROGRAM ELEMENTS

The zonal inspection program should be audited to ensure that all zones in the airplane are
included. If a rating scheme has been used to establish relative inspection intervals, is it
consistent with RCM principles? Do the relative intervals for each zone correspond to the
rating scheme? How do these intervals correspond to those for detailed inspection of internal
structurally significant items? If there are conflicts, can the zonal inspection intervals be
adjusted? Zonal inspections are general visual inspections; do the tasks clearly describe the
elements in the zone to be inspected?
The servicing and lubrication tasks should be audited for completeness, and any deviations
from the manufacturer's recommendations should be substantiated. The specifications for
walk-around and other damage inspections should be audited to make sure that all the
important areas are clearly indicated -especially those most likely to incur damage from
ground operation and from mechanic traffic itself.

UOW ENGG 960