Safety what are my options?

Structures are not indestructible. Time, regular use, and even the occasional mishap will wear a structure down, bringing it closer and closer to the point of failure. This is not the most comforting thought to have when flying on a plane, but it is a dilemma that aircraft structural engineers are faced with every day.

So how can we go about designing a structure if we know that it will inevitably fail? The simple answer is very carefully, but that is not the most informative answer. Let’s take a closer look at the various ways engineers approach this problem!