Testing and certification of sailplane structures

Requirements for certijication of composite materials used in sailplanes and powered sailplanes, as issued by the LBA (Lujlfahrtbundesamt), the airworthiness authority of the Federal Republic of Germany, are reviewed. As an example of the certification procedure the fatigue life test of a CFRP Nimbus wing conducted at the DFVLR (German Aerospace Research Establishment) is outlined. Considering the fact that the certijicated lifetime of 6000 hours for gliders is not long enough, a possible way is shown for getting more comprehensive general information about the fatigue behaviour of composites and for achieving higher design allowables in an acceptable time by means of structural tests.