Structural Integrity Assessment of Thin-Walled Structures

Abstract

As part of the concept of damage tolerant design, methods for the analytical and numerical simulation of ductile crack extension in thin-walled structures are presented and discussed. They comprise the application of an analytical flaw assessment procedure as well as finite element analyses based on the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD), 5, and finite element simulations of crack extension based on the crack tip opening angle (CTOA), a cohesive zone model and a ductile damage model. All these methods are or will become part of the GKSS Structural Integrity Assessment Method (SIAM), which also provides test procedures for the experimental determination of the required material parameters.