What is "aerostructure"

n. Any component or subsystem of the airframe of an aircraft

An aerostructure is a component of an aircraft's airframe. This may include all or part of the fuselage, wings, or flight control surfaces. Companies that specialize in constructing these components are referred to as "aerostructures manufacturers," though many larger aerospace firms with a more diversified product portfolio also build aerostructures.

Mechanical testing of the individual components or complete structure is carried out on a Universal Testing Machine. Test carried out include tensile, compression, flexure, fatigue, impact, compression after impact. Before testing the component, aerospace engineers build finite element models to simulate the reality.