Reconstitution of fatigue crack growth in Al-alloy 2024-T3 open-hole specimens using microfractographic techniques

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2005

Authors

Paulo Matos (Author) FEUP; Pedro Moreira (Author) FEUP; I Nedbal (Author) Other; Paulo Tavares De Castro (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Engineering Fracture Mechanics

Vol. 72 No. 4

Pages: 2232-2246

ISSN: 0013-7944

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 13 Citations

Scopus - 18 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Mechanical engineering

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-1GB

DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2005.02.005

Abstract (EN): Fatigue is one of the main problems in the provision of service life and safety of aircraft structures. The menace of fatigue cracking is accentuated in areas of stress concentration, e.g., joints of structural components. An example is the fuselage where riveting is used. One of the techniques for improving the fatigue life of these connections is the cold expansion of the rivet hole. As part of a larger project on the fatigue behaviour of aeronautical structures, an experimental study of open-hole specimens in Al-alloy 2024-T3, with and without hole expansion, is presented. The residual stress field created by the cold expansion was experimentally assessed by using the X-ray technique and predicted by FEA. Fatigue tests were supplemented by SEM measurements of fatigue striation spacing along longitudinal and transverse directions in the crack surface of each specimen. Empirical models and fractographic techniques developed by Nedbal et al. are used for the analysis of the experimental data, and results of quantitative microfractography are presented. Crack tunnelling was quantified based on the reconstituted crack history and on the surface crack growth measurements.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15