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Performing Fatigue Analysis in

ANSYS Workbench Environment
Al Hancq
Ansys, Inc.

August 20, 2003
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Fatigue Analysis: Why?
Estimated >80% of structural failure due
to fatigue
Important and often ignored simple
questions:
Will fatigue be an issue?
How will design changes affect fatigue?
Need exists for an intuitive, designer
oriented tool to answer these questions

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Fatigue Tool: What?
Born of graduate work at
Carnegie Mellon
1
st
released at DS 6.0 as add-on
Major enhancements at AWE
7.1
Fully integrated into AWE just as
any other result (scoping,
convergence, parameters, etc.)
See fatigue white paper for
detailed discussion
http://www.ansys.com/ansys/modules_fatigue
.htm
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Major Steps in Fatigue Analysis
Material definition
Specification of fatigue loading
Setting of analysis options
Reviewing/interpreting results

Each item has basic aspects as well
as more advanced features.
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Basic Fatigue: Material Definition
Fatigue properties are
defined and viewed
the same as static
properties
Insert SN curve
Can set Log-Log,
Semi-Log, Linear
1
2
3
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Basic Fatigue: Material Definition
Data points are
entered in tabular
form
Graph scale accounts
for interpolation
setting
2
1
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Basic Fatigue: Load Definition
Choose appropriate
type of fatigue
loading
Chart is updated to
reflect loading and
scale factor
1
2
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Basic Fatigue: Analysis Options
Chosen mean stress
theory is highlighted
Choose handling of
any mean stresses
Specify which stress
will be used to query
SN curve
2
3
1
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Basic Fatigue: Review Results
Safety factor
WRT fatigue
failure
At a specified
design life
Default to 1e9
( on most SN
curves),
changeable by
control panel
Answers, Will
fatigue be an
issue?
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Basic Fatigue: Review Results
Calculated
life
Log legend
scale
Maximum
life <=
extreme
point on SN
curve
Could also
plot fatigue
damage
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Basic Fatigue: Review Results
Sensitivity as
a function of
loading level
(1.0 = current
load, .5=value
if load was
halved,etc)
Life, FS,
damage
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Advanced Fatigue
Materials
Multiple SN curves at different mean stress
Collected at constant mean stress
Collected at constant loading ratio (r-ratio)
User defined fatigue strength reduction factor (K
f
)
Non-constant amplitude loading
Rainflow cycle counting
Damage accumulation
Non-proportional loading
Advanced Results
Equivalent Alternating Stress
Biaxiality Indication (Avg., Std. Deviation)
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Advanced Fatigue: Materials
If data is available, user
may enter multiple SN
curves to account for
mean stress
Select option to use
curves instead of
empirical formula
Specify mean
stress or R-ratio for
selected curve
Note: Multiple SN curve
defined for sample
Aluminum material
2
3
1
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-constant
Amplitude Loading
Loading history comes from file (such
as strain gauge).
FEM Results are scaled through load
history (proportional loading)
Rainflow counting performed
Miners Rule for summation
Life is in terms of loading blocks
instead of cycles
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-constant
Amplitude Loading
Specify History
Data for loading
type and select file
Options for setting
bin size and value
used for life
Chart displays
actual data in file
3
2
1
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-constant
Amplitude Loading
Life of 346
loading blocks
FS of 1.5 for a
design life of 100
loading blocks
1
2
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-constant
Amplitude Loading
Rainflow/damage
matrix at critical
location in result
scope
Can be view in
2-D or 3-D
2
1
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-proportional
loading
Loading comes from >1 set of FEM results
Currently can handle constant amplitude case
2 distinct load cases (bending load + axial load)
Alternating load superimposed on a static load (constant
torsion + reversed bending)
Loading is proportional but results are not (nonlinear analysis,
bolt loads, etc.)
Leverage solution combinations to allow
fatigue tool to span multiple environments
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-proportional
loading
This fatigue
tool can only
use 1
environment
(proportional
loading)
Chart signifies that
loading is non-
proportional
Due to solution
combinations, this fatigue
tool can span multiple
environments
Loading type must be set to Non-
Proportional (else the combined static
solution is used)
4
2
3
1
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Advanced Fatigue: Non-proportional
loading
Torsion Axial
Torsion + Axial
Non-proportional
loading gives critical
location not obvious by
either individual load
case
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Advanced Fatigue: Equivalent
Alternating Stress
Intermediate result
independent of SN curve
Stress used to query the
SN curve after
accounting for:
Fatigue loading
Mean stress
Multiaxial effects
Etc.
Result may be exported
for use with 3
rd
party
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Advanced Fatigue: Biaxiality Indication
Gives a measure of the stress state in the
model to help qualify the physics better
Uniaxial (0)
Pure shear (-1)
Biaxial (1)
Determine indication in critical region and
take appropriate action
Apply empirical correction factor
Use a more representative SN curve
Flag for further analysis
For non-proportional loading can plot either
average or std. deviation of biaxiality
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Advanced Fatigue: Biaxiality Indication
Critical region has near
uniaxial stress which
increases confidence in
accuracy
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Possible Future Directions
Non-proportional, non-constant
amplitude loading (most general case)
Strain life methods
Harmonic fatigue
Temperature dependent fatigue
Customization of fatigue tool is possible
Willing to pursue other customer guided
development

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Conclusions
The need exists for fatigue analysis in a
user friendly setting (AWE)
A quality first order solution is available
to users will minimal training
More advanced capabilities exist for
expert users who require them
Future enhancements as guided by
customers