A Certifiable Machine Learning-Based Pipeline to Predict Fatigue Life of Aircraft Structures

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ladrón, Ángel, Sánchez-Domínguez, Miguel, Rozalén, Javier, Sánchez, Fernando R., de Vicente, Javier, Lacasa, Lucas, Valero, Eusebio, Rubio, Gonzalo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ladrón, Ángel
Sánchez-Domínguez, Miguel
Rozalén, Javier
Sánchez, Fernando R.
de Vicente, Javier
Lacasa, Lucas
Valero, Eusebio
Rubio, Gonzalo
author_facet Ladrón, Ángel
Sánchez-Domínguez, Miguel
Rozalén, Javier
Sánchez, Fernando R.
de Vicente, Javier
Lacasa, Lucas
Valero, Eusebio
Rubio, Gonzalo
contents Fatigue life prediction is essential in both the design and operational phases of any aircraft, and in this sense safety in the aerospace industry requires early detection of fatigue cracks to prevent in-flight failures. Robust and precise fatigue life predictors are thus essential to ensure safety. Traditional engineering methods, while reliable, are time consuming and involve complex workflows, including steps such as conducting several Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations, deriving the expected loading spectrum, and applying cycle counting techniques like peak-valley or rainflow counting. These steps often require collaboration between multiple teams and tools, added to the computational time and effort required to achieve fatigue life predictions. Machine learning (ML) offers a promising complement to traditional fatigue life estimation methods, enabling faster iterations and generalization, providing quick estimates that guide decisions alongside conventional simulations. In this paper, we present a ML-based pipeline that aims to estimate the fatigue life of different aircraft wing locations given the flight parameters of the different missions that the aircraft will be operating throughout its operational life. We validate the pipeline in a realistic use case of fatigue life estimation, yielding accurate predictions alongside a thorough statistical validation and uncertainty quantification. Our pipeline constitutes a complement to traditional methodologies by reducing the amount of costly simulations and, thereby, lowering the required computational and human resources.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_10227
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Certifiable Machine Learning-Based Pipeline to Predict Fatigue Life of Aircraft Structures
Ladrón, Ángel
Sánchez-Domínguez, Miguel
Rozalén, Javier
Sánchez, Fernando R.
de Vicente, Javier
Lacasa, Lucas
Valero, Eusebio
Rubio, Gonzalo
Machine Learning
Applied Physics
Fatigue life prediction is essential in both the design and operational phases of any aircraft, and in this sense safety in the aerospace industry requires early detection of fatigue cracks to prevent in-flight failures. Robust and precise fatigue life predictors are thus essential to ensure safety. Traditional engineering methods, while reliable, are time consuming and involve complex workflows, including steps such as conducting several Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations, deriving the expected loading spectrum, and applying cycle counting techniques like peak-valley or rainflow counting. These steps often require collaboration between multiple teams and tools, added to the computational time and effort required to achieve fatigue life predictions. Machine learning (ML) offers a promising complement to traditional fatigue life estimation methods, enabling faster iterations and generalization, providing quick estimates that guide decisions alongside conventional simulations. In this paper, we present a ML-based pipeline that aims to estimate the fatigue life of different aircraft wing locations given the flight parameters of the different missions that the aircraft will be operating throughout its operational life. We validate the pipeline in a realistic use case of fatigue life estimation, yielding accurate predictions alongside a thorough statistical validation and uncertainty quantification. Our pipeline constitutes a complement to traditional methodologies by reducing the amount of costly simulations and, thereby, lowering the required computational and human resources.
title A Certifiable Machine Learning-Based Pipeline to Predict Fatigue Life of Aircraft Structures
topic Machine Learning
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.10227