Fatigue Hot Spot Screening in Finite Element Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for fatigue hot spot screening in component testing are time-consuming and labor-intensive due to the complexity of finite-element models and the need for manual calculations of fatigue life at multiple locations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for fatigue hot spot screening that identifies static stress locations and stress concentrations in a finite-element model, generates fatigue spectra, and produces output files indicating non-fastener and fastener hot spots through automated analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual fatigue analysis is performed at every location on an aircraft component, then comprehensive fatigue life assessment is achieved, but the time and labor required become excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the component into discrete regions of interest (ROIs) based on stress concentration factors, rather than analyzing every location. This segmentation allows the system to focus computational resources on critical areas while maintaining comprehensive fatigue assessment where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different analysis depths to different regions of the component. High-stress concentration areas receive detailed automated fatigue analysis, while low-stress areas are screened out or analyzed with less computational effort, optimizing the balance between assessment completeness and analysis time.
2Productivity
If automated analysis is implemented to reduce manual effort, then productivity increases, but the complexity of the analysis system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional automated analysis system that performs stress concentration factor calculation, ROI identification, fatigue spectrum generation, and fatigue life prediction within a single integrated platform. This universal system handles various component types and loading conditions through standardized procedures, increasing productivity while managing complexity through consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that automatically generates fatigue spectra from stress concentration factors and loading spectra, and then feeds these into fatigue prediction algorithms. This intermediary layer automates the complex calculations that would otherwise require manual intervention, boosting productivity while encapsulating complexity in a manageable automated routine.
3Measurement precision
If fatigue spectra are generated for all static stress locations, then accurate fatigue hot spot identification is achieved, but computational resources are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary screening by calculating stress concentration factors and identifying regions of interest before generating fatigue spectra. This preliminary action filters out low-priority areas, ensuring that computational resources are allocated only to locations where fatigue hot spots are likely to occur, thereby maintaining identification accuracy while reducing overall resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by generating fatigue spectra only for identified regions of interest rather than for all static stress locations. This selective approach focuses computational effort on critical areas where accurate hot spot identification is most needed, achieving sufficient precision while significantly reducing computational resource usage compared to a comprehensive full-component analysis.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for fatigue hot spot screening includes identifying multiple static stress locations neighboring one or more fastener locations and multiple stress concentrations in a finite-element-model of a component in response to analysis results and validated assembly-level analysis results with a computer, generating a fatigue spectrum at each static stress location, generating multiple fatigue analysis control files in response to the fatigue spectrum, reducing the validated assembly-level analysis results, generating a first output file that contains multiple non-fastener stress concentration hot spots in the finite-element-model by a first fatigue analysis at multiple non-fastener stress concentration regions in response to the fatigue analysis control files, calculating one or more local peak stresses for the one or more fastener locations, and generating a second output file that contains multiple fastener hot spots in the finite-element-model by a second fatigue analysis at the fastener locations in response to the fatigue analysis control files.