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"At the present time, structural life assessments, inspection requirements, and inspection intervals, are determined by Durability and Damage Tolerance Assessments (DADTAs) using fracture mechanics crack growth techniques in accordance with the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP). These techniques do not normally consider the effects of corrosion damage on crack initiation or crack growth rate behavior. Also, these techniques do not account for multiple fatigue cracks in the DADTAs of the structural components susceptible to WFD. For aircraft that are not expected to have significant fatigue damage for many years, such as the C/KC-135, this approach has severe limitations since it does not account for corrosion damage or WFD. The impact of corrosion damage and WFD on stress, fatigue life, and residual strength must be understood to ensure maintenance inspections and repair actions are developed and initiated before serious degradation of aircrew/aircraft safety occurs."
Review of Pitting Corrosion Fatigue Models, D.W. Hoeppner, V. Chandrasekaran, and A.M.H. Taylor, University of Utah and FASIDE International Inc.