TESTING AND ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND AND PREVENT JET FIGHTER MID-FLIGHT ACRYLIC CANOPY FAILURES

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or acrylic transparencies are extensively used for commercial and military aircraft throughout the world. The sudden, mid-flight fractures of acrylic transparencies necessitated the imposition of crippling flight limitations on an entire fleet of jet fighters. This presentation will discuss the failure analysis performed on the jet fighter canopy failures including fractographic analysis, materials testing, stress analysis, and fracture mechanics assessment.
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