Fatigue Crack Propagation In Aluminum Alloy Tension Panels

Results are presented of a series of fatigue tests to study crack propagation and the resulting stress distributions in tension panels. The panels were all of the same general design, and configurations varied mainly in the relative amount of cross-sectional area in the skin, stiffeners, and flanges. The panels were constructed of 2024-T3 and 7075-T6 aluminum alloys. It was found that the average rate of crack growth was slower in panels made of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy than in panels made of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. All cracks initiated in the skin, and the slowest crack growth was measured in configurations where the highest percentage of cross-sectional area was in the stiffeners. Strain-gage surveys were made to determine the redistribution of stress as the crack grew across the panels. As a crack approached a given point in the skin, the stress at that point increased rapidly. The stress in the stiffeners also increased as the crack approached the stiffeners. During the propagation of the crack the stress was not distributed uniformly in the remaining area.

A series of fatigue tests with specimens subjected to constant amplitude and two-step axial loads were conducted on 12-inch-wide sheet specimens of 2024-T3 and 7075-T6 aluminum alloy to study the effects of a change in stress level on fatigue-crack propagation. Comparison of the results of the tests in which the specimens were tested at first a high and then a low stress level with those of the constant-stress-amplitude tests indicated that crack propagation was generally delayed after the transition to the lower stress level. In the tests in which the specimens were tested at first a low and then a high stress level, crack propagation continued at the expected rate after the change in stress levels.

Annotation Contains 24 papers from the November, 1998 symposium of the same name, sponsored by the ASTM Committee E8 on Fatigue and Fracture, and presented by Newman and Piascik (both of the NASA Langley Research Center). The papers focus on such areas as fatigue-crack growth threshold mechanisms, loading and specimen-type effects, analyses of fatigue-crack-growth-threshold behavior, and applications of threshold concepts and endurance limits to aerospace and structural materials. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

An investigation was performed to study the effects of slip character and crack closure on the propagation of small fatigue cracks in titanium- aluminum alloys. The materials examined were solution-treated Ti-4Al and Ti-8Al, as well as aged Ti-8Al. The propagation of naturally initiated surface cracks of depths as small as 25 micrometers was compared with the behavior of large through-thickness cracks. An extensometer was used to monitor crack closure throughout the large crack tests, and the closure behavior of the small cracks was measured using a computerized laser interferometric displacement gage having a displacement resolution of 0.01 micrometer. The measurements of crack closure were used to compute an effective stress intensity factor range. In all three alloys and for all test conditions, which included a range of stress levels and stress ratios, small cracks propagated faster than large cracks subjected to an equivalent Delta K, and the small cracks propagated under conditions that were significantly below the large-crack threshold, Delta K(th). Although the character and distribution of slip in Ti-Al alloys may have a dramatic influence on fatigue crack initiation and on the propagation of large cracks, this effect was minimal for small cracks.

An extensive experimental database has been assembled from very detailed teardown examinations of fatigue cracks found in rivet holes of fuselage structural components. Based on this experimental database, a comprehensive analysis methodology was developed to predict the onset of widespread fatigue damage in lap joints of fuselage structure. Several computer codes were developed with specialized capabilities to conduct the various analyses that make up the comprehensive methodology. Over the past several years, the authors have interrogated various aspects of the analysis methods to determine the degree of computational rigor required to produce numerical predictions with acceptable engineering accuracy. This study led to the formulation of a practical engineering approach to predicting fatigue crack growth in riveted lap joints. This paper describes the practical engineering approach and compares predictions with the results from several experimental studies.