Fatigue Life Prediction of Al-Li Alloy Butt-Welded Joints in Aerospace Structures

Author(s):  
Muhammad A. Wahab ◽  
Vinay Raghuram

Friction-Stir-Welding (FSW) has been adopted as a major process for welding Aluminum aerospace structures. AA-2195 is one of the new generations Aluminum alloy (Al-Li) that has been used on the new super lightweight external tank of the space shuttle. The Lockheed Martin Space Systems (LMSS), Michaud Operations in New Orleans is continuously pursuing FSW technologies in its efforts to advance fabrication of the external tanks of the space shuttle. The future launch vehicles which will have to be reusable, mandates the structure to have good fatigue properties, which prompts an investigation into the fatigue behavior of the friction-stir-welded aerospace structures. The butt-joint specimens of Al-2195 are fatigue tested according to ASTM-E647. The effect of Stress ratios, Corrosion-Preventive-Compound (CPC), and periodic Overloading on fatigue life is investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is used to examine the failure surfaces and examine the different modes of crack propagation i.e. tensile, shear, and brittle modes. It is found that fatigue life increases with the increase in stress ratio, the fatigue life increases from 30–38% with the use of CPC, the fatigue life increases 8–12 times with periodic overloading; crack closure phenomenon dominates the fatigue facture. Numerical Analysis using FEA has also been used to model fatigue life prediction scheme for these structures, the interface element technique with critical bonding strength criterion for formation of the new surfaces has been used to model crack propagation. The fatigue life predictions made using this method are within the acceptable ranges of 10–20% of the experimental fatigue life. This method overcomes the limitation of the traditional node-release scheme and closely follows the physics of crack propagation.

Author(s):  
Muhammad A. Wahab ◽  
Vinay Raghuram

Friction-Stir-Welding (FSW) has been adopted as a major process for welding Aluminum aerospace structures. Aluminum (Al-2195) which is one of the new generations Aluminum alloys that has been used for the new super lightweight external tank for the space shuttle. NASA’s Michaud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans is continuously pursuing Friction-Stir-Welding (FSW) technologies in its efforts to advance fabrication of the external tanks of the space shuttles. The future launch vehicles which will have reusable mandates, for the structure to have good fatigue properties which prompts an investigation into the fatigue behavior of the friction stir welded aerospace structures. The butt joint specimens of Aluminum alloys (Al-2195 and Al-2219) are fatigue tested according to ASTM-E647. The effects of stress ratios, corrosion preventive compound (CPC), and periodic overloading on fatigue life is investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is used to examine the failure surfaces and examine the different modes of crack propagation i.e. tensile, shear, and brittle modes. It is found that fatigue life increases with the increase in stress ratios; the fatigue life also increases from 30%–38% with the use of CPC; and the fatigue life could increase 8–12 times with periodic overloading; while the crack closure phenomenon predominates the fatigue fracture. Numerical analysis has been used to model fatigue life prediction scheme for these structures, the interface element technique with critical bonding strength criterion for formation of new surface has been used to model crack propagation. The linear elastic fracture mechanics stress intensity factor is calculated using FEA and the fatigue life predictions made using this method; and are within 10%–20% of the experimental fatigue life obtained.


Author(s):  
Muhammad A. Wahab ◽  
Vinay Raghuram

Abstract Among the recent research Friction-Stir-Welding (FSW) has been adopted worldwide as one of the dominant processes for welding lightweight aerospace Aluminum alloys. Al-2195 which is one of the new generation Aluminum alloys has been used in the external tank of the space shuttles. Aerospace fabricators are continuously pursuing FSW-technologies in its efforts to advance fabrication of the external tanks of the space shuttles. The future launch vehicles with reusable mandates require the structures to have excellent fatigue properties and improved fatigue lives. The butt-welded specimens of Al-2195 and Al-2219 are fatigue tested according to ASTM-E647. The effects of stress ratios, use of corrosion preventive compound (CPC), and the applications of periodic overloading on fatigue lives are investigated in this study. Scanning-electron-microscopy (SEM) is used to examine the criticality of the failure surfaces and the different modes of crack propagation that could have been initiated into the materials. It is found that fatigue life increases with the increase in stress ratio, and results show an increase in fatigue life ranging over 30% with the use of CPC, and the fatigue life increases even further with periodic overloading; whereas crack-closure phenomenon predominates the fatigue fracture. Fracture mechanics analysis and crack similitude was modified for fatigue cracks by Paris. Numerical studies using FEA has produced a model for fatigue life prediction scheme for these structures, where a novel strategy of the interface element technique with critical bonding strength criterion for formation of new fracture surfaces has been used to model fatigue crack propagation lives. The linear elastic fracture mechanics stress intensity factor is calculated using FEA and the fatigue life predictions made using this method are within 10–20% of the experimental fatigue life data obtained. This method overcomes the limitation of the traditional node-release scheme and closely matches the physics of the crack propagation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-140
Author(s):  
Veronika Tomposné Szüle

Generally, the most frequently used structural materials are metals which have high strength and stiffness. However, there are many cases when other important properties come to the front, as well as high deformation capacity with elastic behavior, high viscosity namely good damping effect. Due to its above mentioned properties, rubber is widely used in vehicle and automotive industry. Vehicle components made of rubber usually exhibit large deformations. Cyclic finite deformations generate temperature in hyperelastic materials. Furthermore it is necessary to take into consideration the effects of ambient temperature. The mechanical properties of rubber depend on temperature and temperature changes can accelerate chemical alteration processes which lead to the material deterioration and fatigue processes. Research on fatigue behavior and fatigue properties of rubber has a great significance for predicting fatigue life and improving durability of rubber products. There are several studies on the fatigue behavior of rubber-based materials, but there is less research in the fatigue life prediction considering the influence of temperature and temperature changes. First purpose of this paper is summarizing the influence of temperature and temperature changes on the fatigue behavior of rubber. The second purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the state of the art on the fatigue life prediction of rubber with primary focus on the different methods available for prediction of fatigue life under the influence of temperature and temperature changes.


Author(s):  
Adam J. Rinehart ◽  
Peter B. Keating

Pipeline dent fatigue behavior has been shown to be strongly dependent upon dent length and external force dent restraint characteristics. Full-scale laboratory tests have shown that short dents that are unrestrained by an external force typically experience fatigue cracking in the dent periphery outside of the dent contact region. A fatigue life prediction method for short dents is presented here. In order to assess method accuracy, predictions are made for cases in which fatigue life has been measured experimentally. The predictions account for both crack initiation life and crack propagation life. Stress concentration values used in the predictions are determined using finite element modelling on a case-by-case basis for comparison purposes. Appropriate crack initiation life estimates, stress intensity factor predictions, and crack propagation models are taken from existing literature. Predicted and measured fatigue lives are compared for the cases studied.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 168781401881101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaliang Liu ◽  
Yibo Sun ◽  
Yang Sun ◽  
Hongji Xu ◽  
Xinhua Yang

Spot welding of dissimilar materials can utilize the respective advantage comprehensively, of which reliable prediction of fatigue life is the key issue in the structure design and service process. Taking into account almost all the complex factors that have effects on the fatigue behavior such as load level, thickness, welding nugget diameter, vibrational frequency, and material properties, this article proposed an energy dissipation-based method that is able to predict the fatigue life for spot-welded dissimilar materials rapidly. In order to obtain the temperature gradient, the temperature variations of four-group spot-welded joint of SUS301 L-DLT stainless steel and Q235 carbon steel during high-cycle fatigue tests were monitored by thermal infrared scanner. Specifically, temperature variation disciplines of specimen surface were divided into four stages: temperature increase, temperature decrease, continuous steady increase in temperature, and ultimate drop after the fracture. The material constant C that a spot-welded joint of dissimilar material needs to reach fracture is 0.05425°C·mm3. When the specimen was applied higher than the fatigue limit, the highest error between experimental values and predicted values is 18.90%, and others are lower than 10%. Therefore, a good agreement was achieved in fatigue life prediction between the new method and the validation test results.


Author(s):  
Felipe F. Camargo ◽  
Kamilla Vasconcelos ◽  
Liedi L. Bernucci

Fatigue cracking and rutting are among the major types of distresses to be considered in flexible pavement design. In this context, the choice of the asphalt binder plays a major role in both the fatigue behavior and permanent deformation resistance of the asphalt mixture. This study was conducted to assess the permanent deformation and fatigue behavior of a field-blended rubber-asphalt (CRMA) and compare the results with typical binders used in Brazil. The neat binder used for modification was also employed as a control and as a base for polymer modification (SBSA). The binders were evaluated using the multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) for permanent deformation behavior, and the time sweep (TST) and linear amplitude sweep (LAS) tests for fatigue behavior. Modification of the neat binder resulted in an increase in percentage recovery in the MSCR, whereas the percentage recovery for CRMA was the highest among the three binders at any given temperature. The non-recoverable creep compliance for the CRMA was lower than that exhibited by the neat and SBSA binders for both stress levels for the range of temperatures tested. Binder modification resulted in an improved fatigue behavior compared with the neat binder according to the TST and LAS, whereas rubber modification resulted in the best fatigue behavior. Fatigue life prediction by TST was consistently higher than fatigue life prediction in the LAS test, probably because different criteria were used for determining failure in each test (ranking of the binders remained constant regardless of the criteria used).


2011 ◽  
Vol 361-363 ◽  
pp. 1669-1672
Author(s):  
Wen Xiao Zhang ◽  
Guo Dong Gao ◽  
Guang Yu Mu

The low cycle fatigue behavior was experimentally studied with the 3-dimension notched LD8 aluminum alloy specimens at 300°C. The 3- dimension stress-strain responses of specimens were calculated by means of the program ADINA. The multiaxial fatigue life prediction was carried out according to von Mises’s equivalent theory. The results from the prediction showed that the equivalent strain range can be served as the valid mechanics for predicting multiaxial high temperature and low cyclic fatigue life.


2012 ◽  
Vol 472-475 ◽  
pp. 591-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Liu ◽  
Feng Peng Zhang

Abstract. based on the accumulating fatigue damage model, with single ply plate theory and experiment data as the foundation, consider the interaction between adjacent layer and material degradation, a kind of fatigue life prediction method of fiber reinforced composite laminates is developed. The stiffness decline of each ply during cyclic loading is determined by the fatigue damage variable and the load amplitude and the fatigue life of any laminates can be predicted using the fatigue properties of single ply plate. Using this method a 3D Finite element model is established by ABAQUS software and the fatigue life and the fatigue damage evolution of a T300 / QY8911 laminats are analyzed, the results are more closer to the experimental results.


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