Abstract
Abstract—An analysis of fatigue crack growth from an statistical point of view has been carried out. Eighteen pre‐cracked specimens obtained from the same sheet of aluminium alloy were subjected to identical load and environmental conditions. Tests were conducted under constant‐amplitude loads in order to isolate the effect of material randomness. The experimental results exhibited two different types of dispersion: one showed as a change in the mean growth rate between tests and the other as nonuniform growth in the same specimen.At a subsequent stage, the statistical distribution of the experimental results was studied and a theoretical model was developed to account for the growth pattern observed. The proposed model uses a growth law comprising random parameters to account for the low‐frequency component (slow changes). The comparison of the performance of two different laws, viz. the Paris‐Erdogan law and the cubic law, is presented. Both were tested on the assumption of randomness in two of their fitting parameters. In addition to the above‐mentioned law, the model uses a stochastic log‐normal process to model the high‐frequency component (rapid changes). The parameters for this process were determined by time series analysis of fatigue crack growth rate data.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
