KY EPSCoR: FY24: KY RIDG-23-005: Damage Tolerance Assessments and Fracture processes of Aerospace Materials - Match for 3200004560

Damage Tolerance Assessments and Fracture processes of Aerospace Materials Madhav Baral, Ph.D. (PI) Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Kentucky - Paducah ABSTRACT Damages in aircraft structures can occur during manufacturing processes or during service. As a result, structures must be designed to withstand service load and perform reliably throughout the service life in the presence of a crack or damage. Assessing damage requires a deep understanding of material behavior, fracture mechanics, and experimental characterization. The proposed research activity aims to develop a methodology to assess the damage tolerance behavior and fracture processes of aerospace materials through extensive experimental scheme employing conventional and novel test designs. The mechanical properties of the material will be characterized using tension, compression, and plane-strain experiments along major material directions to assess the anisotropic mechanical behavior. The fracture behavior will be characterized using a series of specialized tests and specimen geometries aimed to determine the strain at fracture for different stress states. Likewise, the resistance of the material against cracking will be characterized using fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth tests on specimens extracted along major material directions. These experimentally determined parameters will enable the development of material modeling framework that can predict the failure over a range of loading conditions, and aid in the design, selection, and development of damage tolerant structures for aerospace and space applications.