Author(s):
1. Slobodanka Boljanović, High School of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia
2. Stevan Maksimović, Vojnotehnički Institut Beograd, Serbia
3. Dragi Stamenković, Termoelektro Belgrade, Serbia

Abstract:
Vital engineering components often must be connected by lug type joints in order to perform their function. The joint consists of a lug and a fork linked by a single bolt (or a pin). During service of structure, the lug is subjected to cyclic loading, and the combination of high concentration and fretting could potentially lead to appearance of the crack initiation, and then crack growth. Fatigue, as a complex process, could be so dangerous and even to cause failure of lug, i.e. components that are connected by lug type joint. Due to previous reasons it is very important to develop reliable computational models for assessing and designing lug to ensure operational safety of structures. The aim of this paper is to formulate the computational model for simulation of the fatigue strength of pin-loaded lug. The computational model considers the following issues: the stress analysis and the fatigue life estimation. For this purpose authors used concept based on significant parameter, known as stress intensity factor. This factor includes important variables geometry and level of loading. For determination of stress intensity factor, numerical and analytical approaches are used. As a numerical method an elastic-plastic finite element analysis for pin-loaded lugs is presented. The authors investigated lugs with one crack emanating from a pin-loaded hole. The proposed model is verified through correlations with available experimental results. A comparison of the computed fatigue life for the crack growth phase with the experimental data shows good agreement.

Key words:
Fatigue, Life simulation, Crack growth, Pin-loaded lug, FEM.

Thematic field:
Mechanics and Design

Date of abstract submission:
03.03.2015.

Conference:
12th International conference on accomplishments in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and Information Technology (DEMI 2015)