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Mixed‐mode fatigue crack growth of thin aluminium panels with single‐side repair using experimental and numerical methods
Author(s) -
HOSSEINITOUDESHKY H.,
MOHAMMADI B.,
BAKHSHANDEH S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
fatigue and fracture of engineering materials and structures
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1460-2695
pISSN - 8756-758X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-2695.2007.01142.x
Subject(s) - materials science , crack closure , finite element method , aluminium , perpendicular , crack tip opening displacement , crack growth resistance curve , structural engineering , paris' law , fracture mechanics , composite material , plane (geometry) , composite number , fracture (geology) , geometry , engineering , mathematics
In this paper, experimental and numerical fatigue crack growth of thin aluminium panels containing a central inclined crack of 45° with single‐side glass/epoxy composite patch are performed. Effects of patch lay‐up configuration on the restarting crack growth (crack re‐initiation) life and crack growth rate of the repaired panels are investigated. The obtained experimental results are compared with those predicted using finite element analysis based on both mid‐plane and unpatched surface fracture parameters. In the finite elements analyses, it is assumed that the crack‐front remains perpendicular to the panel's surfaces during its propagation. It is shown that the finite element crack re‐initiation and propagation lives predictions using the unpatched surface results are too conservative. However, the finite element mid‐plane results lead to a non‐conservative life prediction. It is experimentally shown that, the most effective patch lay‐up configurations to retard the crack growth of the repaired panels is [−45/+45] 2 ; however, the most life extension including the crack propagation cycles belongs to the patch lay‐up of [90 4 ]. It is also shown that using the asymmetric patch lay‐up configuration similar to [90 2 /0 2 ] with a proper bonding process may lead to a very slow crack growth rate, even slower than the patch lay‐up of [90 4 ].