Aerospace Structural Integrity Engineering Services
Structural engineering support for the hardware decision in front of you
Fidelis Aerospace provides structural analysis, finite element analysis, fatigue analysis, and fracture analysis for aerospace suppliers, component manufacturers, modifiers, integrators, and growing hardware teams.
Structural Analysis
Use engineering mechanics, classical methods, and stress analysis to establish load paths, internal forces, stresses, deflections, stability, joint behavior, failure modes, and margins of safety.
- New component and installation sizing.
- Static strength and margins of safety.
- Fasteners, joints, fittings, brackets, frames, panels, and attachments.
- Buckling, crippling, stiffness, deflection, and local detail checks.
- Structural substantiation reports and independent checking.
Finite Element Analysis
Use a verified computational model when geometry, stiffness, boundary conditions, contact, or local load transfer cannot be represented adequately by simple closed-form methods alone.
- Linear static structural FEA.
- Global-local modeling and submodeling.
- Buckling, modal, contact, and nonlinear behavior when justified.
- Mesh convergence, model verification, and results interpretation.
- Stress extraction for structural, fatigue, and fracture assessments.
Fatigue Analysis
Evaluate repeated loading to estimate life, identify durability-limiting details, understand usage sensitivity, and support design, test, qualification, or maintenance decisions.
- Stress-life and strain-life methods when appropriate data are available.
- Load spectra, cycle counting, mean-stress effects, and cumulative damage.
- Notch, joint, and detail fatigue assessment.
- Life sensitivity to loads, material data, geometry, finish, and assumptions.
- Fatigue substantiation, test correlation, and design improvement support.
Fracture Analysis
Apply fracture mechanics and damage-tolerance methods to determine what an assumed or discovered flaw means for criticality, growth, residual strength, inspection, and continued use.
- Stress-intensity and critical-flaw assessment.
- Fatigue crack-growth analysis using appropriate industry methods and tools.
- Residual-strength and remaining-life evaluation.
- Initial-flaw, detectability, inspection-threshold, and interval support.
- Assessment of manufacturing defects, service damage, and test cracks.
One structural problem may require more than one service
A typical hardware decision may begin with structural analysis, use FEA to resolve local response, apply fatigue methods to estimate life, and use fracture mechanics to evaluate an initial flaw or inspection strategy. Fidelis scopes the work around the decision and uses only the methods needed to support it.
Hardware and program contexts
- Aircraft and spacecraft structural components and subassemblies.
- Equipment mounts, payload supports, avionics installations, mission-system structures, and modified hardware.
- Brackets, fittings, frames, panels, housings, mechanisms, joints, and attachments.
- Prototype, test, qualification, flight, and ground-support hardware.
- Metallic structures and other materials where suitable methods, data, and expertise are available for the defined scope.
Why aerospace teams outsource this work
- A defined workload exceeds internal capacity.
- The team lacks a specialized fatigue, fracture, or FEA capability.
- A senior independent review is needed before a critical decision.
- The program needs analysis for a design change, test, qualification event, delivery, or customer commitment.
- Hiring a permanent specialist is not justified for the expected workload.
How scope is established
Fidelis does not sell standardized packages. Scope is developed from the hardware, configuration, loads, materials, interfaces, program phase, decision, available evidence, documentation expectations, and schedule. The initial technical discussion is used to determine fit, identify missing inputs, and define the most useful next step.
Not sure which analysis path fits the problem?
Start with the hardware and the decision. Fidelis can help identify whether the work is primarily structural analysis, FEA, fatigue, fracture, or an integrated combination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between structural analysis and finite element analysis?
Structural analysis is the broader discipline used to determine load paths, stresses, deflections, stability, and margins. Finite element analysis is one computational method within structural analysis. FEA is most useful when geometry, stiffness, interfaces, contact, or local response are too complex for closed-form methods alone.
What is the difference between fatigue analysis and fracture analysis?
Fatigue analysis usually estimates life to crack initiation or durability under repeated loading. Fracture analysis assumes a flaw or crack exists and evaluates its criticality, growth, residual strength, detectability, or inspection needs. Many aerospace programs use both.
Can Fidelis perform only part of a larger analysis program?
Yes. Fidelis can execute a defined task, develop or review a model, perform a fatigue or crack-growth assessment, check client-generated work, support a test, or contribute a technical report section within a client-controlled program.
What information is needed to begin?
A useful initial summary includes the hardware and configuration, the decision or requirement, available geometry and material data, loading information, existing calculations or test evidence, required documentation, and timing. Sensitive technical data should not be submitted through the website form.