Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Fatigue Life Analysis Of T-38 Aileron Lever Using A Continuum Damage Approach, James D. Gyllenskog

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In a recent investigation conducted by the United States Air Force, the mechanical failure of the aileron lever, manufactured from 2014-T6 aluminum, caused the fatal mishap of a T-38 trainer aircraft. In general the locations of cracks are unknown and must be determined by simulation. In this study we propose to use a continuum damage modeling approach to determine the degradation and damage in a material as the number of cycles of loading increases. This approach successfully predicts the location of crack initiation, propagation path, and propagation rate. A stress-based model in conjunction with the successive initiation technique is utilized. …