Probabilistic Treatment of Crack Nucleation and Growth for Gas Turbine Engine Materials

Author(s):  
M. P. Enright ◽  
R. C. McClung ◽  
S. J. Hudak ◽  
W. L. Francis

The empirical models commonly used for probabilistic life prediction do not provide adequate treatment of the physical parameters that characterize fatigue damage development. For these models, probabilistic treatment is limited to statistical analysis of strain-life regression fit parameters. In this paper, a model is proposed for life prediction that is based on separate nucleation and growth phases of total fatigue life. The model was calibrated using existing smooth specimen strain-life data, and it has been validated for other geometries. Crack nucleation scatter is estimated based on the variability associated with smooth specimen and fatigue crack growth data, including the influences of correlation among crack nucleation and growth phases. The influences of crack nucleation and growth variability on life and probability of fracture are illustrated for a representative gas turbine engine disk geometry.

Author(s):  
M. P. Enright ◽  
R. C. McClung ◽  
S. J. Hudak ◽  
W. L. Francis

The empirical models commonly used for probabilistic life prediction do not provide adequate treatment of the physical parameters that characterize fatigue damage development. For these models, probabilistic treatment is limited to statistical analysis of strain-life regression fit parameters. In this paper, a model is proposed for life prediction that is based on separate nucleation and growth phases of total fatigue life. The model was calibrated using existing smooth specimen strain-life data, and has been validated for other geometries. Crack nucleation scatter is estimated based on the variability associated with smooth specimen and fatigue crack growth data, including the influences of correlation among crack nucleation and growth phases. The influences of crack nucleation and growth variability on life and probability of fracture is illustrated for a representative gas turbine engine disk geometry.


1975 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Sattar ◽  
C. V. Sundt

Author(s):  
Wasim Tarar ◽  
M.-H. Herman Shen

High cycle fatigue is the most common cause of failure in gas turbine engines. Different design tools have been developed to predict number of cycles to failure for a component subjected to fatigue loads. An energy-based fatigue life prediction framework was previously developed in recent research for prediction of axial and bending fatigue life at various stress ratios. The framework for the prediction of fatigue life via energy analysis was based on a new constitutive law, which states the following: the amount of energy required to fracture a material is constant. A finite element approach for uniaxial and bending fatigue was developed by authors based on this constitutive law. In this study, the energy expressions that construct the new constitutive law are integrated into minimum potential energy formulation to develop a new QUAD-4 finite element for fatigue life prediction. The newly developed QUAD-4 element is further modified to obtain a plate element. The Plate element can be used to model plates subjected to biaxial fatigue including bending loads. The new QUAD-4 element is benchmarked with previously developed uniaxial tension/compression finite element. The comparison of Finite element method (FEM) results to existing experimental fatigue data, verifies the new finite element development for fatigue life prediction. The final output of this finite element analysis is in the form of number of cycles to failure for each element in ascending or descending order. Therefore, the new finite element framework can predict the number of cycles to failure at each location in gas turbine engine structural components. The new finite element provides a very useful tool for fatigue life prediction in gas turbine engine components. The performance of the fatigue finite element is demonstrated by the fatigue life predictions from Al6061-T6 aluminum and Ti-6Al-4V. Results are compared with experimental results and analytical predictions.


Author(s):  
Wasim Tarar ◽  
M.-H. Herman Shen

High cycle fatigue is the major governing failure mode in aerospace structures and gas turbine engines. Different design tools are available to predict number of cycles to failure for a component subjected to fatigue loads. An energy-based fatigue life prediction framework was previously developed in recent research for prediction of axial, bending and torsional fatigue life at various stress ratios. The framework for the prediction of fatigue life via energy analysis was based on a new constitutive law, which states the following: the amount of energy required to fracture a material is constant. A 1-D ROD element for unixial fatigue, a BEAM element for bending fatigue and a QUAD-4 element for biaxial fatigue were developed by authors based on this constitutive law. In this study, the energy expressions that construct the new constitutive law are integrated into minimum potential energy formulation to develop a new HEX-8 BRICK finite element for fatigue life prediction. The newly developed HEX-8 BRICK element has 8 nodes and each node has 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) in x, y and z directions. This element is further modified to add the rotational and bending DOFs for application to real world three dimensional (3D) structures and components. HEX-8 BRICK fatigue finite element has capability to predict the number of cycles to failure for 3-D objects subjected to multiaxial stresses. The new HEX-8 element is benchmarked with previously developed uniaxial tension/compression finite element in order to verify the new development. The comparison of finite element method (FEM) results to existing experimental fatigue data, verifies the new finite element development for fatigue life prediction. The final output of this finite element analysis is in the form of number of cycles to failure for each element in ascending or descending order. Therefore, the new finite element framework can predict the number of cycles to failure at each location in gas turbine engine structural components. The new finite element provides a very useful tool for fatigue life prediction in gas turbine engine components as it provides a complete picture of fatiguing process. The performance of the HEX-8 fatigue finite element is demonstrated by comparison of life prediction results for A16061-T6 to previously developed multiaxial fatigue life prediction approach by the authors. Another set of comparison is made to results for type 304 stainless steel data.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Walls ◽  
R. E. deLaneuville ◽  
S. E. Cunningham

A novel fracture mechanics approach has been used to predict crack propagation lives in gas turbine engine blades subjected to vibratory high cycle fatigue (HCF). The vibratory loading included both a resonant mode and a nonresonant mode, with one blade subjected to only the nonresonant mode and another blade to both modes. A life prediction algorithm was utilized to predict HCF propagation lives for each case. The life prediction system incorporates a boundary integral element (BIE) derived hybrid stress intensity solution, which accounts for the transition from a surface crack to corner crack to edge crack. It also includes a derivation of threshold crack length from threshold stress intensity factors to give crack size limits for no propagation. The stress intensity solution was calibrated for crack aspect ratios measured directly from the fracture surfaces. The model demonstrates the ability to correlate predicted missions to failure with values deduced from fractographic analysis. This analysis helps to validate the use of fracture mechanics approaches for assessing damage tolerance in gas turbine engine components subjected to combined steady and vibratory stresses.


Author(s):  
David P. Walls ◽  
Robert E. deLaneuville ◽  
Susan E. Cunningham

A novel fracture mechanics approach has been used to predict crack propagation lives in gas turbine engine blades subjected to vibratory high cycle fatigue (HCF). The vibratory loading included both a resonant mode and a non-resonant mode, with one blade subjected to only the non-resonant mode and another blade to both modes. A life prediction algorithm was utilized to predict HCF propagation lives for each case. The life prediction system incorporates a boundary integral element (BIE) derived hybrid stress intensity solution which accounts for the transition from a surface crack to corner crack to edge crack. It also includes a derivation of threshold crack length from threshold stress intensity factors to give crack size limits for no propagation. The stress intensity solution was calibrated for crack aspect ratios measured directly from the fracture surfaces. The model demonstrates the ability to correlate predicted missions to failure with values deduced from fractographic analysis. This analysis helps to validate the use of fracture mechanics approaches for assessing damage tolerance in gas turbine engine components subjected to combined steady and vibratory stresses.


2010 ◽  
Vol 450 ◽  
pp. 429-432
Author(s):  
Ping Zhao ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Qing Hua He

To investigate the physical cause of premature blade cracking during the acceleration mission test (AMT) in a test cell environment, an in-depth finite element analysis (FEA) of the blade was conducted using a life prediction system. The results obtained showed that the blades had suffered excessive airfoil creep damage, leading to excessive blade lengthening and airfoil untwisting particularly in the trailing edge region. It is predicted that the uneven rubbing action might have contributed to the fatigue crack nucleation and growth process just below the platform in the shank region of the blade under AMT fatigue cycling conditions, and the excessive creep deformation made a significant effect on the overall crack nucleation process.


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