This document provides requirements for the determination of maximum stress and corresponding margin of safety under loading and defines criteria for static strength failure modes, such as rupture, collapse and detrimental yielding. This document does not cover critical-conditions-induced fatigue, creep and crack growths. Notwithstanding these limitations in scope, the results of stress calculations based on the requirements of this document are applicable to other critical condition analysis.

This document is applicable to the determination of the stress/strain distribution and margins of safety in launch vehicles and spacecraft load-bearing elements design. Liquid propellant engine structures, solid propellant engine nozzles and the solid propellant itself are not covered, but liquid propellant tanks, pressure vessels and solid propellant cases are within the scope of this document.

In accordance with the requirements of this document, the models, methods and procedures for stress calculation can also be applicable to the displacements and deformation calculation, as well as the calculation of loads, applied to substructures and structural elements under consideration. When this document is applied, it is assumed that temperature distribution has been determined and is used as input data.