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High performance approach to fatigue crack analysis and life prediction

Deliverables

Improved software product: Improvements of MECANO with decohesive elements, which can be used either for crack growth analysis (if further research is performed) or for delamination analysis of composite structures with other constitutive laws. In both cases further industrialisation work is needed. Expertise in crack propagation modelling SALES: The Version 10 of MECANO is enhanced with the 2D and 3D cohesive elements. The Chain Patran, Mecano, Nsoft with MSC and Ncode. Market Analysis: All the companies involved in crack propagation and composite structure delamination: amongst Samtech‘s customers: Snecma, MTU, Airbus, Alenia, Fiat, EADS, … Services: If the previous step is positive, consultancy activity in crack propagation can be initiated.
The algorithms defined in WorkPackage 1 of the project have been successfully implemented into a research code (this mentioned code is FEAP). The algorithms defined in WorkPackage 2 for fatigue analysis based on cohesive elements identified in WorkPackage 1 have been successfully implemented into the same research code. Based on the researches developed into the project at least one Ph. D. Thesis will be presented. The team plans publishing several articles in prestigious specialised publications related to fracture/fatigue or numerical methods in engineering.
Coupling of commercial software to fatigue analysis. Development of database with appropriate parameters for cohesive element fatigue life estimation. The activities to link cohesive element code to the fatigue analysis procedures and code used by nCode have already been done. Associated with this is the database work to ensure that parameters needed by the CIE software are available to the process. Good progress has been made on the latter. Cohesive Interface Elements within FEA for fatigue crack propagation rate estimation. The project software may be used alongside other FCGR models and procedures in nCode’s crack growth suite of programmes. It is also possible that this software will be employed jointly with our partners on this project. At this stage it is too early to say: - What the market size is and - Therefore what the best route to market would be.
The software developed will be used in crack propagation analysis and life assessment of aeronautical components (engine and aero-structures), after adequate in-house verification and validation. It may also form the basis for further development of in-house lifting tools. New procedures will be implemented in the internal calculation standards.
User interface and pre-processor: Graphical support of crack-element generation in a Finite Element model. User access to a crack material database and association of properties to the elements. The development of a graphical menu embedded into MSC.Patran has started and will be completed along the next 5 months. It will enable a user to graphically select the area where the crack resides. Based on this selection the connectivity of the element edges or faces at the crack will be modified in such a way that they can be used in connection with a cohesive law for simulating crack opening. Currently a prototype has been made only for 2D but after some initial testing and validation it can be extended easily to 3D. Material data necessary for the analysis deck generation will be accessed into a materials database. This is ultimately planned to be performed via the materials databases API calls when the partners provide them. The pre-processor demonstration: The main associated partners working on the demonstration were SAMTECH and nCode. As far as dissemination was concerned the developed approach and the results, obtained in the frame of the Hiper-Crack project, were presented to a large audience or interested parts. This was done especially at all kind of MSC. Software events. Thanks to the large customer database of MSC. Software it was possible to reach the largest possible audience interested in these developments. In addition, the software developed on the frame of this project will be further investigated, extended and completed in the future in order to make this technology also applicable to and accessible for different industries. Preference translators: Generation of a bulk input for crack analysis. (Forward translator), reading of analysis results into the user’s environment (reverse translator). This task included updating the standard MSC. Patran-Samcef translator in charge of solver’s input generation and uploading results into the database. Coding resulted in minor modifications of existing integrating environment. An assumption has been made that un-used nodes (quad 8 and node quad 6) will be supported by Samcef. Post-processing: Evaluation of results within the graphical user interface. Post processing will take care of results evaluation into MSC. Patran. Specification completion by the solver partner (SAMTECH) will enable beginning of coding.
Offshore Industry: a study of welded steel tubular connections was conducted. Efforts are continued in this area through R&D and consulting activities. The techniques introduced by the project are new to the offshore industry so there is great potential for dissemination in this field. The team plans to present its results in special conferences and contribute to the development of specifications. Civil Infrastructure: A follow-up study on fatigue of reinforced concrete walls was conducted and the h experimental results are available at the University of Thessaloniki. Collaboration with Cornell University: The team has developed a strong collaboration with Cornell University, U.S.A. An example of this collaboration is the fatigue analysis of a helicopter gear. Cornell has performed similar analyses using other methods and now wants to use and evaluate the HiperCrack methodology. The main milestone is comparison with previous analyses and the publication of the results.

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