Fatigue Crack Propagation using the Dual Boundary Element Method in a Fiber Metal Laminates Aeronautic Full Scale Panel

摘要

The objective of this paper is to show an original approach based on the Dual Boundary Element Method (DBEM), useful to simulate fatigue crack growth in fiber metal laminates (FML). The numerical crack growth rates, calculated by DBEM, are compared with corresponding experimental results, obtained by a fatigue test on a full scale stiffened panel and available from the literature. This approach aims at providing a general purpose prediction tool for a better understanding of the fatigue resistance of FML panels, providing a deeper insight into the roles of the fibre stiffness and of the delamination extension on the stress intensity factors. The experimental test, realized in the context of a European research project (DIALFAST), is consistently reproduced by the proposed procedure.