This training course has been accredited by the NAFEMS Education & Training Working Group

Fatigue & Fracture Mechanics in Finite Element Analysis

Duration:	1.5 days
Delivery:	E-learning Onsite Classroom
Language:	English
Level:	Mid-level
Availability:	Worldwide
Tutor(s):	Tony Abbey
	Request Full Details

Learn fatigue and fracture from the experts.

Fatigue failure occurs when a material is subjected to repeated loading and unloading cycles. The level of stresses present to cause failure may be well below values considered safe for a single static load application. The critical fatigue initiation is usually at a very localized site and may be a result of additional factors such as stress concentration due to component shape, surface finish or corrosion pitting.

Fatigue has been cited as one of the major causes of in-service failure throughout engineering history. The nature and prediction of fatigue is now much more understood, and is a requirement for most design products today. However the application of fatigue analysis is not easy and a good background is essential to be able to use the powerful FEA method as a basis for fatigue analysis.

Much of the terminology used in setting up the fatigue problem through a modern GUI is confusing and the choice of options is not always clear.

The objective of this course is to break down the fatigue analysis process into clearly defined steps, give an overview of the physics involved and show how to successfully implement practical solutions using Finite Element Analysis.

Course Program

Part 1

Introduction to Fatigue
High Cycle Fatigue Methods
Mean Stress Effects
Fatigue Correction Factors
Loading Environment
Low Cycle Fatigue Overview
FEA Application of Fatigue

Part 2

Notch Effects in High Cycle Fatigue
Notch effects Low Cycle Fatigue
Low Cycle Fatigue - Overview
Low Cycle Fatigue - Mean Stress
Low Cycle Fatigue - Data
Cycle Counting Methods

Part 3

More FEA implications
Stress Concentrations
Multi Axial Fatigue

Part 4

Background to Random Analysis
The PSD specification
Vibration Fatigue Analysis
Examples

Part 5

Introduction to Fracture
FEA Implementations
Fatigue in Composites

Who Should Attend?

Practicing engineers who wish to learn more about how to apply finite element techniques to fatigue analysis in the most effective manner. Ideally a student should have some experience of FEA analysis, but this is not essential.

Interested?

Get in touch to discuss your next steps with our experienced training team. We can work closely with you to understand your specific requirements, cater for your specific industry sector or analysis type, and produce a truly personalised training solution for your organisation.

All NAFEMS training courses are entirely code independent, meaning they are suitable for users of any software package.

Courses are available to both members and non-members of NAFEMS, although member organisations will enjoy a significant discount on all fees.

NAFEMS course tutors enjoy a world-class reputation in the engineering analysis community, and with decades of experience between them, will deliver tangible benefits to you, your analysis team, and your wider organisation.

Find out more

PSE Competencies addressed by this training course

ID	Competence Statement
FATkn1	List the conditions necessary for fatigue failure.
FATkn2	List the possible sources of cyclic loading in your company products.
FATkn3	List potential sites for fatigue in your company products.
FATkn4	Sketch a sinusoidal stress variation and show the maximum stress, minimum stress, mean stress, alternating stress (or stress amplitude), stress range and stress ratio.
FATkn5	List a common source of harmful tensile residual stress in your company products.
FATkn6	List ways of inducing beneficial compressive stresses in your company products.
FATkn7	Sketch a fatigue diagram, showing the Modified Goodman, Gerber, Soderberg and Langer/Yield lines.
FATkn8	Sketch typical welds, highlighting features detrimental to fatigue performance.
FATkn11	Define the terms Nominal stress, Notch stress, Equivalent stress and Weld-Throat stress.
FATco1	Discuss the initiation, propagation and fast fracture stages of Fatigue in metallic materials.
FATco2	Describe how the data used to construct an S-N curve are obtained.
FATco3	Discuss the term high cycle fatigue, highlighting a common source in your company products.
FATco4	Discuss the statistical nature of fatigue and explain how this is handled in relevant design standards and codes of practice.
FATco5	Discuss the salient features of an S-N diagram for steels and explain the terms endurance limit, infinite life and low cycle fatigue.
FATco6	Discuss the typical appearance of a fatigue failure surface in a metallic component and explain how the source of the fatigue failure is commonly identified.
FATco7	Discuss the observed relationship between endurance limit and static tensile strength for steels and explain why this relationship does not hold for welded steels.
FATco8	Discuss the philosophy of Safe Life Design.
FATco9	Explain the term Damage Tolerant Design.
FATco10	Contrast the Stress-Life and Strain Life / Manson-Coffin approaches to fatigue assessment.
FATco11	Explain the use of Endurance Limit Modifying Factors in Stress-Life based fatigue assessment.
FATco13	Discuss the effects of corrosion on fatigue life and highlight how this is typically handled in relevant standards and codes of practice.
FATco14	Discuss the term Fatigue Strength Reduction Factor in relation to stress concentrations and explain how this has traditionally been handled in relevant design standards and codes of practice.
FATco15	Discuss the concept of cumulative damage and explain how this is commonly handled.
FATco16	Explain why a multiaxial stress field can complicate an analysis and discuss approaches to handling this.
FATco17	Discuss the significance of the choice of equivalent stress used in the fatigue assessment of welded joints
FATco18	Outline a conservative approach to situations where the directions of principal stresses vary during a stress cycle.
FATco21	Discuss why weld toe grinding can be beneficial and explain how a design standards and codes of practice will typically allow for this improvement.
FATco25	Reflect on why fatigue is such a long-standing and persistent cause of failure.
FATco26	Discuss the nature of and typical locations for, stress singularities in a finite element model and explain how they would typically be handled in a fatigue analysis.
FATco27	Describe the approximations inherent in a plate/ shell idealisation of welded joints and how these could influence fatigue assessment.
FATco28	Discuss the term Effective Notch Stress and Nominal Stress.
FATco29	Explain how a Cyclic Stress-Strain Curve is constructed and used.
FATco30	Explain Neuber's Rule and its limitations and why corrections to the elastic strain range from an elastic analysis may be necessary.
FATco31	Discuss the term Local Plastic Strain Amplification Coefficient and Elastic Follow-Up.
FATco33	Explain why corrections for mean strain are often unnecessary for low cycle fatigue.
FATco35	Discuss the term endurance limit for many non-ferrous metals, steels in a corrosive environment and the possible effects of load sequencing.
FATco37	Reflect on how variable amplitude load sequencing can affect the prediction of damage accumulation and fatigue life.
FATap1	Employ a fatigue diagram, consisting of Modified Goodman and Langer lines, to assess fatigue performance of components.
FATap2	Carry out elastic fatigue assessment using design standards and code guidelines for components and structures including any special procedures for ancillary components such as bolts,
FATap5	Use Reservoir Counting / Rainflow Method or similar to specify the necessary stress ranges, number of cycles and loading history for any component to be analysed.
FATap6	Employ a finite element analysis system for the fatigue analysis of a component or structure.
FATap7	Use hot spot stress techniques (extrapolation and/ or linearization) to determine structural stresses for fatigue assessment.
FATsy1	Prepare a fatigue analysis specification, highlighting any assumptions relating to geometry, loads, boundary conditions and material properties.
FATsy2	Plan a fatigue analysis, specifying necessary resources and timescale.
FATsy3	Prepare quality assurance procedures for fatigue analysis activities within an organisation.
FATsy4	Specify whether a Fracture Mechanics approach is more appropriate.
FATev1	Assess the significance of neglecting any feature or detail in any idealisation being used for fatigue assessment.
FATev2	Assess the fatigue significance of simplifying geometry, material models, loads or boundary conditions.
FAFMkn1	Give an overview of the historical development of fracture mechanics
FAFMkn2	Summarise the scope of fracture mechanics for the different types of cracks and material situations
FAFMkn3	Define stress intensity factor and state the relationships between G and KI, KII and KIII for plane stress and plane strain crack tip conditions
FAFMco1	Explain the Griffith criterion and the significance of the toughness parameter Gc
FAFMco3	Identify the key field variables (displacement, strain, stress and principal stress) relevant to a general 3D crack profile and sketch their components.
FAFMco6	Describe the significance of the strain energy release rate G
FAFMco8	Describe a range of solutions to the more common geometrical configurations in both 2D and 3D, the latter having both straight, elliptical and circular crack profiles
FAFMco9	Explain how a pre-existing crack propagates in a new loading field that exhibits both mode I and II behaviour at the crack tip, and discuss FE techniques useful for predicting the new crack propagation direction
FAFMco10	Discuss the main components required of a FE model to represent the main features of a cracked structure, to include the discrete crack geometry, material properties and mechanical/thermal loads
FAFMco11	Describe, from the results of a FE analysis, how it is possible to calculate K and/or G at any position along a crack profile; explain the difference between substitution and energy methods
FAFMco12	Describe how the following energy methods work, their applicability, and limitations: the potential energy difference technique, the virtual crack extension method, J-integral (both as line and domain integrals), and crack closure work
FAFMco13	Describe how special finite elements are use to represent the crack tip singularity and the availability in user's FE software
FAFMco15	Describe the mechanism of plasticity in the context of its existence around a crack tip
FAFMco21	Describe how cracks grow under fatigue conditions and the factors that affect this growth
FAFMco22	Explain why there is a tendency for fatigue crack growth to be under LEFM conditions, the relevance of stress intensity factor; and the Paris law to describe growth rates
FAFMco23	Describe how FE analysis can be used to calculate both the growing crack length and direction change from an initially cracked geometry under mixed mode conditions
FAFMap1	Determine the meshing requirements for any FM approach being employed.
FAFMap2	Employ an analysis system effectively for LEFM and use the Westergaard Equations (displacement or stress) to determine Stress Intensity Factors in components.
FAFMap6	Use documented solutions for standard stress intensity factors to check FEA results or to benchmark FEA procedures.
BMPSap2	Employ appropriate techniques to retrieve hot-spot and other stress quantities for the assessment of welds.
MASco8	Explain, in metallurgical terms, how fatigue cracks form and grow in metallic materials.
MASco11	Discuss the terms elastic-perfectly plastic, kinematic hardening, isotropic hardening, Bauschinger effect, hysteresis loop.
MASco19	Discuss common material characteristics and typical manufacturing related flaws in welding.
MASco20	Discuss common material characteristics and typical manufacturing related flaws in hot and cold rolled plate and tubes.
MASco21	Discuss common material characteristics and typical manufacturing related flaws in forgings.
MASco22	Discuss common material characteristics and typical manufacturing related flaws in castings.
MASap2	Determine whether any allowance needs to be made to the material data for the effects of environment and variability.
PLASco33	Explain Neuber's Rule.