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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Design, Testing and Simulation of GFRP Cruciform Test Specimen in Biaxial Fatigue

Authors

; ;

Term

4. term

Publication year

2014

Submitted on

Pages

99

Abstract

Dette projekt omfatter design, test og simulering af et korsformet prøvestykke i glasfiberforstærket plast (GFRP) for at undersøge, hvordan det klarer biaksial træthed, dvs. gentagne belastninger i to retninger. En gennemgang af den nyeste litteratur om korsformede prøvestykker under biaksial træthed dannede grundlag for designet. Geometri og lagopbygning (rækkefølgen af lag) blev optimeret i MATLAB og koblet til en solid finit element (FE)-model i ANSYS. Et centralt målefelt (gauge zone) med en på forhånd fastlagt lagopbygning, specificeret af Siemens Wind Power A/S, blev indarbejdet i prøvestykket. De fremstillede prøver blev herefter belastet biaksialt ved forskellige spændingsniveauer, indtil brud opstod i målefeltet. Udviklingen af skader blev overvåget med videokamera, digital billedkorrelation (DIC) og tøjningsmålere. For at forudsige træthedslevetid blev den avancerede algoritme FADAS implementeret som en programmerbar underfunktion i ANSYS. Algoritmen modellerer gradvis styrke- og stivhedsreduktion og anvender Pucks brudkriterier til at estimere træthedslevetiden for fiberforstærkede polymerer. FADAS blev anvendt på en FE-skallermodel af det designede prøvestykke, og simuleringer blev udført for at vurdere, om algoritmen kunne genskabe forsøgsresultaterne. Undersøgelsen viser, at FADAS i den nuværende implementering ikke kan estimere prøvernes træthedslevetid inden for en acceptabel tolerance.

This project designs, tests, and simulates a cross-shaped specimen made of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) to study how it endures biaxial fatigue, meaning repeated loading in two directions. A review of current literature on cruciform specimens under biaxial fatigue informed the design. The specimen’s geometry and composite lay-up (the stacking order of layers) were optimized in MATLAB and coupled to a solid finite element (FE) model in ANSYS. A central gauge zone (measurement region) with a predefined lay-up specified by Siemens Wind Power A/S was embedded in the specimen. The designed specimens were then subjected to biaxial fatigue at different stress levels until failure occurred in the gauge zone. Damage progression was monitored using a video camera, digital image correlation (DIC), and strain gauges. To predict fatigue life, a state-of-the-art algorithm called FADAS was implemented as an ANSYS subroutine. The algorithm models progressive strength and stiffness degradation and uses Puck’s failure criteria to estimate the fatigue life of fiber-reinforced polymers. FADAS was applied to an FE shell model of the designed specimen, and simulations were run to assess whether it could reproduce the experimental results. The study concludes that, in its current implementation, FADAS did not estimate fatigue life within an acceptable tolerance for these tests.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]