SOFTWARE

Fracture & Crack Growth

BEASY’s Fracture & Crack Growth (FCG) software enables engineers to quickly develop high fidelity fracture mechanics models based on the actual structural component. This software is used by engineers, performing damage-tolerant design assessments, to determine accurate stress intensity factor (SIF) solutions and simulate 3D crack growth. The BEASY SIF Wizard provides an interactive GUI that engineers can use to automatically insert, parametrically controllable crack shapes, in models. Our easy-to-use modelling process supports the setup and launch of a FCG simulation using the BEASY Crack Growth Wizard - providing critical data on crack growth rates and crack shape evolution.

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Typical Applications

Assessment of allowable defects sizes during manufacturing

Virtual Fracture Testing

Determining critical fracture data to support inspection and maintenance scheduling

Fracture mechanics assessments for Structural Life Extension Programs (SLEP)

Damage Tolerant Design (DTA)

Critical flaw assessment in aircraft, ships, pressure vessels, storage tanks, pipelines, and other structures

Benefits

BEASY’s powerful boundary element solver accurately determines multi-point SIF solutions along the entire crack front

Uses a mixed-mode stress intensity factor solution (KI, KII, KIII) to simulate accurate, nonplanar, crack shape evolution (not restricted to Mode 1 solutions)

Predict SIFs and fatigue crack growth under complex multiaxial loading

Support for multiple cracks and coplanar crack coalescence

User-defined, arbitrary crack shapes, can be stored in the Crack Management Library and used in structural models

Crack growth in residual stress fields is supported (this feature requires the BEASY residual product)

Fracture Mechanics Solver

BEASY utilizes a multi-threaded, dual boundary integral solver, with parallel processing capability to solve computational fracture mechanics problems. This technology more accurately represents the near singular stress fields that occur near the crack front. BEASY’s surface only meshing is very efficient for crack modelling and integrates well, with automatic meshing routines used to advance cracks in structural models. The software can also use more globally oriented FE solutions as input to fracture sub models when needed.

BEASY supports both 2D and 3D crack growth simulations. Crack growth directions and rate are computed at discrete locations along the crack front. Crack grow direction is predicted using computed SIF values. Load spectrum data can be generated using a number of supported industry formats including block spectrum, sequential, multi-axial, and others.

A variety of crack growth relationships (Paris, NASGRO, AFRGROW, etc) are also available to compute da/dN rates or test data can be supplied in a tabulated da/dN format. In addition for stress corrosion crack growth, a sustained crack growth rate da/dT can be used.

Critical Flaw Assessment

BEASY SIF assessment tools allow study of cracks in different locations with variable crack sizes using parametric crack definitions. This allows critical flaw sizes to be obtained from different locations on the model and using different load combinations. This study can be carried out either using the BEASY Fracture Assessment tool (FASST) or with the SIF or crack growth simulation tool.

In a crack growth simulation some crack locations, which may appear to be critical, could lead to crack arrest due to geometric features.

Damage Tolerant Design

This allows you to investigate if defects, detected during an inspection, will cause a part to fail within the service life or before the next inspection period. Will localised manufacturing defects grow to become fatigue cracks during the product life or should material or loading changes be implemented to prevent failure occurring.

Accurately Determine Multi-point SIF Solutions

In a BEASY fracture simulation, stress intensities are computed at multiple points along the crack front, using the real geometry, rather than just using a handbook two point SIF solution. Crack growth is then dependent on the full local stress field allowing crack growth paths to be computing capturing load redistribution and non-uniform loading in additional to crack turning using the mixed

$high fidelity fracture mechanics model to determine damage tolerance$

Elevate your expertise

BEASY offers a variety of training options: from comprehensive full courses, to webinars and tailored training program, our experts in corrosion and fracture ensure that you get the most out of BEASY's software.

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