Analysis of Crack Propagation Using the Strain Energy Density Method

 

Sobodanka Boljanović

Stevan Maksimović,

Mirjana Đurić

 

In this paper, the prediction of the crack growth life under uniaxial stress condition is studied using the energy concept. The model is based on the strain energy density generated ahead of a fatigue crack. Mathematical relations are expressed in terms of low cycle parameters. The wing skin was analyzed as a damaged aircraft structural component. In order to calculate the corrective function (which includes the geometry of a structural element) important for a fatigue crack estimation, the analytical approach is used to determine the stress intensity factor. The accuracy of the modeling for cracked wing skin is validated with experimental results. A good agreement was found between the predicted and the experimental results for the cracked structural component.

Key words: material fatigue, low cyclic fatigue, crack, crack propagation, numerical simulation, energy density method, aircraft wing, aircraft wing skin.