Method and apparatus for predicting the failure of a component
First Claim
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1. A method for predicting the failure of a component, the method comprising:
- obtaining a Finite Element Model (FEM) of a component;
analyzing said FEM to obtain stresses at nodes of said FEM;
identifying a subset of said nodes as significant nodes based on said stresses;
determining a Representative Volume Element (RVE) for at least one of said significant nodes;
developing an RVE microstructure-based failure model for at least one said RVE;
simulating a component life using at least one RVE microstructure-based failure model, said simulating producing a result related to said component life;
performing said simulating a plurality of times to produce results related to component life;
preparing statistics using said results; and
comparing said statistics to a probability of failure (POF) criteria to determine whether said performing predicted failure for said component.
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Abstract
The invention provides a method and apparatus for predicting the failure of a component using a probabilistic model of a material'"'"'s microstructural-based response to fatigue. The method predicts the component failure by a computer simulation of multiple incarnations of real material behavior, or virtual prototyping. The virtual prototyping simulates the effects of characteristics that include grain size, grain orientation, micro-applied stress and micro-yield strength that are difficult to simulate with real specimens. The invention provides an apparatus for predicting the response of a component to fatigue using the method.
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21 Claims
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1. A method for predicting the failure of a component, the method comprising:
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obtaining a Finite Element Model (FEM) of a component; analyzing said FEM to obtain stresses at nodes of said FEM; identifying a subset of said nodes as significant nodes based on said stresses; determining a Representative Volume Element (RVE) for at least one of said significant nodes; developing an RVE microstructure-based failure model for at least one said RVE; simulating a component life using at least one RVE microstructure-based failure model, said simulating producing a result related to said component life; performing said simulating a plurality of times to produce results related to component life; preparing statistics using said results; and comparing said statistics to a probability of failure (POF) criteria to determine whether said performing predicted failure for said component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for predicting the failure of a component comprising:
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a central processing unit (CPU); an output device for displaying simulated fatigue results; an input device for receiving input; and a memory comprising; instructions for receiving input comprising;
a component'"'"'s material characteristics, a Finite Element Model (FEM) of said component, and at least one Representative Volume Element (RVE) microstructure-based failure model;instructions for predicting failure of said component comprising; analyzing said FEM to obtain stresses at nodes of said FEM; identifying a subset of said nodes as significant nodes based on said stresses; determining an RVE for at least one of said significant nodes; simulating a component life using at least one RVE microstructure-based failure model, said simulating producing a result related to component life; performing said simulating a plurality of times to produce results related to component life; preparing statistics using said results; and comparing said statistics to a probability of failure (POF) criteria to determine whether said performing predicted failure for said component; and instructions for displaying a result from said predicting. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification