The Metal Aeronautical Components Fatigue Life Improvement Group (MacFLI) was established as a research entity in the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa in 2009. It is housed in the School of Mechanical, Industrial & Aeronautical Engineering and makes use of its facilities while offering the opportunity for students of the School to undertake research in the Group.

The MacFLI Group is a specialized group focusing on Fatigue, Fracture Mechanics and Damage Tolerance analysis of metallic aircraft structures.

The MacFLI Group is the only centre of specialization in Africa that has the in-house facilities and capabilities of combining innovative manufacturing techniques such as Friction Stir Welding and surface engineering techniques such as Laser Shock Peening.

The Group is aware of the need for green technologies thus have extended its research topics to environmentally friendly Titanium Machining in the hopes to contribute to a better, greener future for integral aeronautical components.

The Group has also extensive experience in Finite Element Analysis and processes multi-objective Optimisation, fundamental tolls for a comprehensive research approach.

Continuing Professional Development

A postgraduate research degree within the MacFLI Group provides a good background and hands-on experience in design, experimentation (a must for all MacFLI projects) and project management. Industry related projects are almost always undertaken as postgraduate student research projects or, where appropriate, by researchers in industry, also as part of study toward a higher degree.