To solve the problem of fatigue life prediction of notched 3D woven composites, a novel fatigue life prediction method based on progressive damage and field intensity theory is proposed. By analyzing the initial loading process of 3D woven composite structure based on progressive damage method, the stress field when the fatigue damage develops gently and the dangerous area where the fatigue damage occurs first are obtained. Then combining with the concept of notch field intensity function, the failure criteria of composites and the three-dimensional space vector stress field intensity method, the fatigue damage degree field intensity of the fiber yarns in the dangerous area is analyzed and the most damaged fiber yarn is found. The fatigue life of the structure is calculated with the field intensity equivalent stress and the S-N curve of this fiber yarn. In order to verify the effectiveness of this method, the fatigue life of notched 3D woven composites under several stress levels is predicted and compared with the existing experimental data. The compared results show that the fatigue life prediction values are all within the two-fold error bounds of the experimental data, which are in good agreement with experimental results. Compared with the progressive damage fatigue life prediction method of woven composites, the prediction accuracy of the method proposed in this paper is improved by 31.5% on average, and the calculation efficiency is also greatly improved.
A modified stress field intensity approach for fatigue life prediction of components
