• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.651-674
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• 2006

The fatigue cracks initiate and propagate in the Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge (AVLB) components, especially like the splice doubler angle, splice plate, and bottom chord, due to the cyclic loading by repeated AVLB-launchings and tank-crossings. In this study, laboratory fatigue tests were conducted on six aluminum 2014-T6, four aluminum 7050-T76511, and four ASTM A36 steel compact-tension specimens to evaluate the crack growth behavior of the materials used for the components. The experimental results provide the relationship (Paris Law) between crack growth rate, da/dn, and stress intensity range, ${\Delta}K$, whose material dependent constants C and m can later be used in the life estimation of the components. Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to obtain the stress intensity factor, K, of the components with cracks. Because of the complexity of loading conditions and component geometry, several assumptions and simplifications are made in the FEM modeling. The FEM results, along with the results obtained from laboratory fatigue tests, are then utilized to estimate critical crack length and remaining life of the components.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 1983

In this paper elastic-plastic large deflection analysis of ship structural members, plates, stiffened plates and cylindrical shallow shell, are performed by the finite element method. And for the consideration of the yielded propagation through the depth of the member, the layered element approach is employed. The present method is justified by comparing its results with those of experiment and others. As results, the nonlinear behavior and the ultimate strength curves are shown, which can be used in the design of the plates and the stiffened plates under compression, and the applicability to the shell structures is suggested. The analysis results are as followings. (1) The results of the approximate equations as well as those of buckling analysis may not guarantee precisely the safety of the structures in some cases and the optimum in other cases. Therefore they may not show the design criteria for the optimal design. (2) As the initial deflection increases, its effects on the ultimate strength of the structure generally increases, and the ultimate load, therefore, decreases. (3) This approach can be applied to the shell type structures. (4) The present method can be applied to the various structures composed of plate and beam members, for example, plates with hole and the stiffened plates with hole stiffened by spigot, doubler and/or stiffener, for the optimal design.