United States Air Force Academy

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Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (CAStLE)

Two B-52s in flight.

The Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension has a two-fold research mission in support of the safe sustainment of aging structures.

The Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension has a two-fold research mission in support of the safe sustainment of aging structures. First, CAStLE research and technology development projects deliver critical science and technology (S&T) data and tools required to understand the impact of material degradation in structural systems for various government, academic, and commercial sponsors. Second, but no less important, CAStLE educates, trains, and inspires future generations that will become the core of the S&T community within the government and the general professional population. CAStLE’s core competencies, developed over more than two decades of successful research product delivery to our sponsors, fully address all aspects of the mission.

CORE COMPETENCIES
  • Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) support; component & full-scale testing, teardown analysis, flight data acquisition, root-cause analysis, modeling, etc.
  • Structural re-design, material substitution, prototyping, and validation testing
  • Material processing, testing, and development
  • Basic research in material degradation prevention and control, OSD sponsored Technical Corrosion Collaboration between university, DOD, and commercial research groups
  • Short courses, videos, science center exhibits, design challenges, college readiness programs, etc.
MAJOR PROJECTS
  • Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) Engineering support for sustainment of a wide variety of DoD weapon systems
  • Structural re-design, material substitution, prototyping, and validation testing
  • Digital transformation support and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for major weapon systems
  • Fatigue testing of full-scale aircraft structural components
Contact Us

Ms. Cindy Klahn
cindy.klahn@afacademy.af.edu