Structural Design Review Checklist
Review prompts for structural design — load path clarity, failure mode coverage, manufacturability, inspectability and certification evidence.
Purpose
For checking a structural design before release for analysis, manufacture or certification.
Design
- Is the load path clear and continuous through the structure? — No orphan loads or weak links
- Are all plausible failure modes identified and assessed? — Static, fatigue, buckling, damage tolerance
- Is the structure manufacturable with the intended process? — Casting, forging, machining, additive
- Is the structure inspectable at the critical locations? — NDE access for fatigue-critical areas
- Are joints and interfaces designed with appropriate margins? — Not the weak link
- Are tolerances consistent with the structural assumption? — Fit-up gaps, alignment
Optimisation
- If optimised, has the optimised design been verified by a full analysis? — Not just the optimisation output
- Does optimisation preserve manufacturability and inspectability? — Not just minimum mass
- Is the optimised design robust to manufacturing tolerance variation? — Sensitivity check
- Are load-path clarity and joint design preserved after optimisation? — Not compromised