Fatigue and fracture analysis of aluminum plate with composite patches under the hygrothermal effect

In this paper, fatigue life of the repaired cracks in 2024-T 3 aluminum with bonded patches made of unidirectional composite plates has been investigated experimentally and numerically for hygrothermal effect. The problem is handled in plane stress and Mode I condition. In the experimental study the mechanical properties of the aluminum plate and patch materials are determined and fatigue experiments are conducted. The results obtained from these experiments and numerical solutions are compared. Thus the reliability of the numerical solution has been proven. For all conditions, numerical solutions have been made and stress intensity factor (K-I) and fatigue life are calculated. Different plate and patch thicknesses are also considered in the experiments. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.