Fatigue propagation of induced cracks by stiffeners in repaired panels with composite patches

摘要

In this study, finite element method is used to investigate crack propagation of stiffened aluminum panels repaired with composite patches. For this purpose, 3-D crack-front in general mixed-mode conditions is considered for the analyses. The cracks are considered to be near the stiffener around a rivet and are capable to propagate under a cyclic loading. Effects of rivets distances and their diameter on the crack growth life of repaired panels are investigated. Moreover, the obtained crack-front shapes at various crack growth steps, crack trajectories and life of the unrepaired and repaired panels with various glass/epoxy patch lay-ups are discussed.