Simulation Analysis of Cracked Steel Plate Bonded with Composite Patches

Abstract

During the service, cracks may occur in the steel structures of the crane. The capacity and service life of the cracked structures can be improved by bonding composite patches to the cracked areas. In order to better formulate the adhesive repairing scheme of cracked structures, the finite element models of the cracked steel plates bonded with composite patches were established with ABAQUS. The effects of patch length, stiffness, steel plate thickness and adhesive layer shear stiffness on the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip and the adhesive layer stress of the repaired structure were analyzed. The results show that selecting reasonable patch parameters and adhesive layer shear stiffness can not only effectively reduce the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip, but also improve the stress state of the adhesive layer. The bonding technique has a poor repairing effect on cracked steel plates with a large thickness. The conclusions can provide references for the development of repairing scheme for cracked steel structures.