• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.817-837
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• 1997

In the present contribution an interface crack model is introduced which is capable of modelling crack initialisation and growth in aluminium as well as in Fibre Metal Laminates. Interface elements are inserted in a finite element mesh with a yield function which bounds all states of stress in the interface. Hardening occurs after a state of stress exceeds the yield stress of the material. The hardening branch is bounded by the ultimate stress of the material. Thereafter, the state of stress is reduced to zero while the inelastic deformations grow. The energy dissipated by the inelastic deformations in this process equals the fracture energy of the material. The model is applied to calculate the onset and growth of cracking in centre cracked plates made of aluminium and GLARE$^{(R)}$. The impact of the model parameters on the performance of the crack model is studied by comparisons of the numerical results with experimental data.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.271-280
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• 2023

In this study, the three-dimensional finite element method is used to analyze the behavior of corner cracks in finite-thickness plates repaired with a composite patch. The normalized stress intensity factor at the crack front is used as fracture criterion. Comparison of stress intensity factor values at the internal and external positions of repaired quarter-elliptical corner crack was done, for three repair techniques. The influence of mechanical and geometrical properties of the adhesive layer and the composite patch on the variation of the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack-front was highlighted. The obtained results show that the application of double patch leads to a remarkable reduction of SIF at the crack front, compared to facial and lateral repairs.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.693-701
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• 2016

In this study, notch defects are evaluated using fracture mechanics. To understand the effects of notch defects, FE analysis is conducted to predict the limit load and J-integral for middle-cracked and single-edge cracked plates with various sizes of notch under tension and bending. As the radius of the notch increases, the energy release rate also increases, although the limit load remains constant. The values of fracture toughness($J_{IC}$) of SM490A are determined for various notch radii through FE simulation instead of conducting an experiment. As the radius of the notch increases, the energy release rate also increases, together with a more significant increase in fracture toughness. To conclude, as the notch radius increases, the resistance to crack propagation also increases.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.589-597
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• 2010

Steel structures have a higher probability of being damaged by fatigue than by other causes of deterioration. As such, their maintenance to prevent fatigue damage is essential to sustain their safety and performance during their service period. In their maintenance, the current state of their fatigue cracks must be assessed to determine appropriate reinforcement methods and the suitable time intervals of periodic inspections when fatigue cracks are detected. Determining the crack growth rate is a successful method of predicting fractures, but it requires technical knowledge on fracture mechanics and experience in numerical methods and software for finite element analysis. In this study, a fatigue crack growth test on through-thickness cracked steel plates was conducted to assess the crack growth rate without superior technical knowledge and experience. The relationship between the Crack Opening Displacement (COD) and the crack growth rate was found in relatively long fatigue cracks.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.171-190
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• 2002

Two cases of design are performed for the hyperbolic paraboloid saddle shell (Lin-Scordelis saddle shell) and the hyperbolic cooling tower (Grand Gulf cooling tower) to check the design strength against a consistent design load, therefore to verify the adequacy of the design algorithm. An iterative numerical computational algorithm is developed for combined membrane and flexural forces, which is based on equilibrium consideration for the limit state of reinforcement and cracked concrete. The design algorithm is implemented in a finite element analysis computer program developed by Mahmoud and Gupta. The amount of reinforcement is then determined at the center of each element by an elastic finite element analysis with the design ultimate load. Based on ultimate nonlinear analyses performed with designed saddle shell, the analytically calculated ultimate load exceeded the design ultimate load from 7% to 34% for analyses with various magnitude of tension stiffening. For the cooling tower problem the calculated ultimate load exceeded the design ultimate load from 26% to 63% with similar types of analyses. Since the effective tension stiffening would vary over the life of the shells due to environmental factors, a degree of uncertainty seems inevitable in calculating the actual failure load by means of numerical analysis. Even though the ultimate loads are strongly dependent on the tensile properties of concrete, the calculated ultimate loads are higher than the design ultimate loads for both design cases. For the cases designed, the design algorithm gives a lower bound on the design ultimate load with respect to the lower bound theorem. This shows the adequacy of the design algorithm developed, at least for the shells studied. The presented design algorithm for the combined membrane and flexural forces can be evolved as a general design method for reinforced concrete plates and shells through further studies involving the performance of multiple designs and the analyses of differing shell configurations.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.43-48
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• 2004

When structures are loaded by a combination of primary and secondary stresses, plasticity effects occur which cannot be evaluated by a simple linear addition of the effects resulting from the two independent stress systems. Thermal stress due to temperature gradient is classified as secondary stress. It is known that secondary stress is released as increase of plastic zone. In this paper, two and three dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analyses are performed for the cracked plates and pipes under combined thermal and mechanical loading. And V-factor is introduced to account for plasticity effect. The present results provide that V-factor is function of thermal factor and loading and is consistent regardless of geometry. We developed the prediction method of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics parameter under combined primary and secondary loading from the present results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.325-334
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• 2017

In the present study, a numerical model for probability analysis of optimal design of fatigue non-uniform crack growth behaviour of a cracked aluminium 2024 T3 plate repaired with a bonded composite patch is investigated. The proposed 3D numerical model has advanced in literatures, which gathers in a unique study: problems of reliability, optimization, fatigue, cracks and repair of plates subjected to tensile loadings. To achieve this aim, a finite element modelling is carried out to determine the evolution of the stress intensity factor at the crack tip Paris law is used to predict the fatigue life for a give n crack. To have an optimal volume of our patch satisfied the practical fatigue life, a procedure of optimization is proposed. Finally, the probabilistic analysis is performed in order to a show that optimized patch design is influenced by uncertainties related to mechanical and geometrical properties during the manufacturing process.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.2090-2095
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• 1997

The plane stress fracture toughness for thin aluminum alloy(2024-T3 and 7075-T6) specimens are characterized by using compact-tension (CT) specimens. Anti-buckling plates were fabricated on both sides of the thin CT specimens to prevent the buckling phenomena which caused by the 45.deg. C plastic yielding at the crack tip under the plane stress condition. The plane stress fracture toughnesses determined by three different procedures are compared with each others. The plane stress fracture toughnesses are also compared with a few published values which were determined by using center-cracked panel specimens.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.487-492
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• 2007

The enhancement of the service life of damaged or cracked structures is a major issue for researchers and engineers. The hierarchical void element with the integrals of Legend polynomials is used to characterize the fracture behavior of unpatched crack as well as repaired crack with bonded composite patches by computing the stress intensity factors and stress contours at the crack tip. The numerical approach is based on the v-version degenerate shell element including the theory of anisotropic laminated composites. Since the equivalent single layer approach is adopted in this study, the proposed element is necessary to represent a discontinuous crack part as a continuum body with zero stiffness of materials. Thus the aspect ratio of this element to represent the crack should be extremely slender. The sensitivity of numerical solution with respect to energy release rate, displacement and stress has been tested to show the robustness of hierarchical void element as the aspect ratio is increased up to 2000. The stiffness derivative method and displacement extrapolation method have been applied to calculate the stress intensity factors of Mode I problem.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.340-347
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• 2022

In this research, mixed metal oxide (TiO₂, RuO₂) coating was applied to grade 1 titanium as a bipolar plate for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Electrochemical experiments were carried out in an aqueous solution of pH 3 (H₂SO₄ + 0.1 ppm HF, 80 ℃) determined by DoE. The air was bubbled to simulate a cathode environment. Potentiodynamic polarization test revealed that corrosion current densities of the titanium substrate and MMO-coated specimen were 0.180 µA/cm² and 4.381 µA/cm², respectively. There was no active peak. After potentiostatic experiment, current densities of the titanium substrate and the MMO-coated specimen were 0.19 µA/cm² and 1.05 µA/cm², respectively. As a result of observing the surface before and after the potentiostatic experiment, cracked dried clay structures were observed without corrosion damage. Both the titanium substrate and the MMO-coated specimen could not satisfy the interfacial contact resistance suggested by the DoE. Thus, further research is needed before they could be applied as bipolar plates.