METHOD OF FATIGUE TESTING A COMPLEX STRUCTURE
FIG1 is a side view of an aircraft according to this disclosure
Referring to FIG1, a side view of an aircraft 100 is shown. In the embodiment shown, aircraft 100 is a helicopter. However, in other embodiments, aircraft 100 may be any other rotorcraft, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft, and/or other "manned" or "un-manned" aircraft. Aircraft 100 comprises a fuselage 102 and an empennage or tail boom 104. A tail rotor 106 comprising a plurality of tail rotor blades 108 is operatively coupled to the tail boom 104. Aircraft 100 further comprises a main rotor system 110 having a plurality of main rotor blades 112 that are selectively rotatable to provide lift to the aircraft 100. A skid or landing gear 114 is attached to the fuselage 102 and configured to support the aircraft 100 when the aircraft 100 is grounded. Aircraft 100 also comprises a pilot control system that includes controls for receiving inputs from a pilot or co-pilot to operate the aircraft 100, and a flight control system, which may, for example, include hardware and/or software for controlling the aircraft 100 in flight. Still further, aircraft 100 may also comprise a combustion engine configured to propel the aircraft 100 during forward flight.
side view
100
aircraft
104
tail boom
112
main rotor blades
102
fuselage
108
tail rotor blades
106
tail rotor
110
main rotor system
114
landing gear
['10. The method (800) of claim 1, or of any of claims 2 to 9, wherein the complex airframe structure (200) forms the airframe structure for at least one of a fuselage (102), tail boom (104), landing gear (114), combustion engine, transmission, and control system of an aircraft (100).']