Evaluation of nondestructive testing methods for the detection of fretting damage

Experiments have been carried out to determine the viability of using nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques to detect active fretting processes and detect the presence of fretting damage on the faying surfaces of aircraft fuselage joint structures. A number of small specimens representing an element of an aircraft fuselage joint were subjected to fatigue, monitored during loading and inspected after loading, to determine the ability of various NDT techniques to detect fretting damage. These specimens were composed of two sheets of Al 2024-T3 fastened together with rivets, and the fretting damage expected to occur on hidden surfaces of this structure.