Computational intelligent optimization approach based on Particle Swarm Optimization and Extended Finite Element Method for high-cycle fatigue life extension

摘要

The crack growth trajectory is a significant structural issue, directly affecting its quality and stability. Specifically, a crack propagating toward a critical condition will fail the structure. On the other hand, cutouts in a structure can deviate from the crack path; hence, the position of a cutout is one of the most influential parameters in crack path deviation. It is essential to obtain the most optimal position since a cutout may be located at different positions relative to the crack. In order to determine the optimal cutout position to extend the fatigue life, the present manuscript investigated a suitable position for the center of a constant-radius circular cutout by optimizing an objective function using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The results indicated that the vertical position of the cutout to the crack is influential in crack path deviation. Subsequently, the results obtained from a coupling between the PSO and Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) were validated via experiments. It was concluded that numerical results are in good agreement with experimental results.