Q. Why I want to learn about Aircraft Structural Integrity? Being a future Aerospace Engineer Ive learnt a lot regarding an Airplane. I learned the Aerodynamics which accounts for Lift and Drag of the Aircraft. Also I learned about various structural components of an aircraft and the stress in each member and how it responds under given stress conditions. And Flight Mechanics taught me about the various stability conditions which are required for an aircraft. At last we learned about the engine that we use in aircraft to provide thrust and we learned about various engines and their efficiencies. So, basically we have everything required to finally manufacture an aircraft. Finally the question which remains after all of this is, how long will my aircraft fly after Ive manufactured it? Will my aircraft fly forever or will it fail after sometime? If yes, When? These are very important questions regarding an aircraft and not after we have manufactured it but these are very important questions which should be considered before I even start thinking of manufacturing an aircraft. One major item of an air vehicle system that affects its operational readiness is the condition of the structure. The complete structure, the airframe, includes the fuselage, wing, empennage, landing gear, control systems and surfaces, engine section, nacelle, air induction, weapon mount(if any), engine mounts, structural operating mechanisms, and other components. The capabilities, condition, and operational limitations of the airframe of each air vehicle must be established to maintain operational readiness. Potential structural or material problems must be identified early in the life-cycle to minimize their impact on the operational force, and a preventive maintenance program must be determined to provide for the orderly scheduling of inspections and replacement or repair of life-limited elements of the airframe. Therefore the one thing which I want to learn from this course is to ensure that the appropriate criteria and planned usage are applied to an air vehicle design so that the specific operational requirements are met. Another important criteria which should be incorporated in the design is Damage Tolerance. The airframe should incorporate materials, stress levels and structural configurations which minimizes the probability of loss of aircraft due to undetected structural damage( such as cracks, corrosion etc.). This design methodology is required as there will be undetected flaws which can exist in critical structural components despite all the measures taken during design and fabrication. Finally, even after learning so much about an aircraft, I cannot design an aircraft without learning about the Structural Integrity of an Aircraft. In order to learn the answers to the above questions, which I hope will make me a complete Structural Engineer someday, I want to learn about Aircraft Structural Integrity.