Plane manufacturers design commercial aircraft equipment to withstand heavy landings, but even these have limits, Stephens said. Stephens, who has a background in engineering, said metal fatigue ...

causing what’s called “metal fatigue.” With this in mind, aircraft manufacturers set a maximum pressurization cycle number, which dictates how many cycles a plane can go through and still be ...

Laser shock peening is a surface treatment process for increasing the strength and reliability of metal ... blades in aircraft to foreign object damage and improving high-cycle fatigue life.

Repainting airplanes is also an opportunity for airlines ... If plane maintenance is neglected, corrosion and metal fatigue could lead to a major accident. Like Aloha Airlines flight 243, when ...