fe-safe from Safe Technology

John Draper

fe-safe: what we do
fe-safe
The leading suite of software for fatigue design

Sold world wide to companies that design everything from

mobile phones to heavy engineering structures,
heart valves to engines

nuclear plant to wind turbines

fe-safe:
High
temperature
what we do
fatigue of engines
fe-safe
The leading suite of software for fatigue design

Sold world wide to companies that design everything from

mobile phones to heavy engineering structures,
heart valves to engines

nuclear plant to wind turbines

TM
High
Fatigue
temperature
of weldedfatigue
joints -ofVerity
engines

TM method
Developed
and
patented
by Verity
the Battelle
The potential
market
for the
Very small components - drive shafts, bicycle
Institute.
Licensed
to
is vast - for example parts
- Safe Technology
- world-wide agreement in place
- we take 40% of the software revenue

A large Joint Industry Panel (JIP) has guided

the research andExhaust
validatedsystems
the method.
The developer has received many awards Society of Automotive Engineers Henry Ford II
medal
Time Magazine 2005 maths innovator.
Soldered joints and printed
circuit boards

TM
High
Fatigue
temperature
of weldedfatigue
joints -ofVerity
engines

TM method
Developed
and
patented
by Verity
the Battelle
The potential
market
for the
Very small components - drive shafts, bicycle
Car bodies and car assembly plant
Institute.
Licensed
to
is vast - for example parts
- Safe Technology
- world-wide agreement in place
This will save millions of dollars - Ford
- we take 40% of the software revenue

A large Joint Industry Panel (JIP) has guided

the research andExhaust
validatedsystems
the method.
The developer has received many awards Society of Automotive Engineers Henry Ford II
medal
Time Magazine 2005 maths innovator.
Soldered joints and printed
circuit boards

Fatigue of trucks and off-highway vehicles

Car bodies and car assembly plant

This will save millions of dollars - Ford

Fatigue of pressure vessels

Fatigue of pressure
vessels
medical equipment

Medical equipment -

X-ray treatment and mobile

MRI scanners
Arterial stents

Fatigue of medical equipment

Medical equipment -

X-ray treatment and mobile

MRI scanners
Arterial stents

Fatigue
of welded
- VerityTM
and fatigue
medical
of.joints
equipment

Medicalvessels
equipment
- Medical
equipment
Pressure

X-ray treatment
mobile
X-ray
treatmentand
and
MRI scanners
mobile
MRI scanners
Arterial
stents
Arterial stents

Safe Technology Limited

Headquarters in Sheffield UK
Safe Technology US is a wholly-owned subsidiary based in
Michigan with an office in Los Angeles
World-wide distributor network includes ANSYS re-sellers
fe-safe is sold worldwide by Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp
Revenue growth is typically 30% per year

12

INTERFACES
Input/output

Loading

ABAQUS .fil
ABAQUS .odb
NASTRAN f06

FEA
Design

ABAQUS, ANSYS
I-DEAS,
NASTRAN, Pro/E

Stress
results

NASTRAN op2

fe-safe

ANSYS .rst
I-DEAS .unv
Pro/M s01..., d01
General .csv
Output

Redesign

Hypermesh .hmres
PATRAN
Life
contours

FEMVIEW
CADFIX
FEMAP

fe-safefe durability analysis from FEA

Durability by design?
Stress
amplitude

S-N curve

N cycles

Location of max stress.

Calculate stress amplitude and
mean stress
ampP
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328

(sf-sm)/E
0.001855
0.001793
0.001731
0.001669
0.001607
0.001545
0.001483
0.001421
0.001359
0.001297
0.001235
0.001173
0.001111
0.001048
0.000986

1.25113
1.209275
1.16742
1.125565
1.08371
1.041855
1
0.958145
0.91629
0.874435
0.83258
0.790725
0.74887
0.707015
0.665161

0.006059
0.005813
0.005567
0.00532
0.005074
0.004828
0.004581
0.004335
0.004089
0.003842
0.003596
0.00335
0.003103
0.002857
0.002611

2.00E+05 ampE
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619

0.0019
0.001823
0.001746
0.001669
0.001591
0.001514
0.001437
0.00136
0.001282
0.001205
0.001128
0.001051
0.000973
0.000896
0.000819

ampP
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947

amp
0.002848
0.00277
0.002693
0.002616
0.002539
0.002461
0.002384
0.002307
0.00223
0.002152
0.002075
0.001998
0.001921
0.001843
0.001766

Stress
amplitude

amp/Sao
1.194403
1.162002
1.129602
1.097201
1.064801
1.0324
1
0.9676
0.935199
0.902799
0.870398
0.837998
0.805597
0.773197
0.740796

Mean stress

Haigh Diagram

Dana Automotive Systems Group Case Study

Part of an automotive driveshaft assembly joint.
Cracks did not start from the maximum stress location.
This was corroborated by lab tests on actual specimens

Max principal stress

Shortest life

fe-safe life contours

Stress contours

Fatigue calculations using local strains

De

Same stress, same life

elastic-plastic
strain

For crack initiation, life is determined by surface stresses and strains

Will the crack grow ? - Critical distance methods

This stress determines if the crack will initiate

This stress determines if the crack will

propagate to failure

Notch sensitivity

Distance, r

rc
Whether the crack will propagate or not is defined by the
stress some distance below the surface.
This critical distance is a material property obtained from
DKth

Critical distance methods

This stress determines if the crack will initiate

This stress determines if the crack will

propagate to failure

Notch sensitivity

Distance, r

rc
High strength steel critical distance is small (say 0.1mm)

Very notch sensitive.

Whether
the crack will propagate or not is defined by the
Cracks
usually propagate
failure
stress
somewilldistance
below thetosurface.

This critical distance is a material property

Critical distance methods

This stress determines if the crack will initiate

This stress determines if the crack will
propagate to failure

Notch sensitivity

Distance, r
High
steel distance
critical is
distance
is small
(say 0.1mm)
Greystrength
iron critical
large (say
2 mm)

Very
Very notch
notch sensitive.
insensitive.
Cracks
propagate
to to
failure
Cracks will
will usually
often not
propagate
failure

So now we can include..the stress gradient size effect in fatigue

Shorter life to failure

but same life to crack initiation.

So now we can include..the difference between axial and bending

Axial loading gives

shorter life to failure

but same life to crack initiation.

Plasticity
HF Moore - 1927
Crack initiation fatigue lives were related to the amount of
plasticity in notches

Plasticity
What do we mean by plasticity ?

Plasticity
Battelle 1947. Fatigue manual for US Navy
we should look at that portion of the
stress-strain diagram between the
beginning of the tiniest permanent
deformation and the yield strength

400

Cyclic test
350

Yield stre
0.2% proo
from tens

Stress: MPa

300

250

200

SAE1030 steel
150

100

Onset of plasticity
in fatigue

50

Modern fatigue analysis is the study of the effects of small amounts of

inelasticity
Strain
0

0.002

0.004

0.006

0.008

Fatigue analysis methods

What causes fatigue cracking ?
Plasticity is necessary to initiate fatigue cracks.
Tresca and von Mises are methods of calculating when a material
will yield.
Tresca and von Mises are both based on shear stresses.
Therefore shear stresses initiate fatigue cracks
(this theory is from around 1900)

Biaxial fatigue

Findley, 1959

Biaxial fatigue

Findley, 1959 - combine shear and normal stresses

Biaxial fatigue
Principal stresses may change orientation

Biaxial fatigue
Principal stresses may change orientation

Biaxial fatigue
Principal stresses may change orientation

Biaxial fatigue
Critical plane analysis searches for the most damaged plane

Fatigue analysis methods

1.

If we use elastic FEA, we need a fatigue-based

plasticity correction to calculate elastic-plastic
stress and strain.

2.

Calculate combinations of shear stress-strain and

normal stress-strain.

Stress max/min (MPa)

400
300
200
100
0
-100
105

3.

Perform critical plane searching to find the

direction of crack initiation.

10 6
Life (cycles)

Fatigue analysis methods

Metal fatigue - 1927
The endurance limit amplitude for a mixture of large and small
cycles is much lower than the constant amplitude endurance
limit.

De
2

Constant amplitude
endurance limit

Endurance 2Nf

De
2

Endurance 2Nf

damaging

De
2

Endurance 2Nf

damaging

less damaging

De
2

Endurance 2Nf

damaging

less damaging non- damaging

Fatigue analysis methods

Calculate elastic-plastic stress and strain from elastic
FEA stresses.

2.

Calculate combinations of shear stress-strain and

normal stress-strain.

400

Stress max/min (MPa)

1.

SAE1030
300
200
100
0
-100
105

3.

Perform critical plane searching to find the direction

of crack initiation.

4.

Modify the endurance limit to allow for the interaction

between large and small cycles.

5.

If we are prepared to accept cracks, we use critical

distance methods to increase the allowable stresses.

10 6
Life (cycles)

7
10

Local strain analysis allows for changes in

mean stress caused by local plasticity

Tensile residual
stress

Elastic strains pull

notch strains close to
zero when load is
removed

Biaxial fatigue
Strain-life for uniaxial stress
De s f (2 N )b
f
2

e f (2 Nf ) c

Kandil-Brown-Miller shear + normal

s f
D max De N

1.65 (2 N f ) b
2
2
E

1.75 e f (2 N f ) c

Uses uniaxial materials properties so

no extra materials data is needed.

Combined shear and

normal strain

Materials data effect of temperature

600

De
2

Stress (MPa)

500

1.0E+00

1.0E-01

400
300

1.0E-02

200
1.0E-03

100
0
0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

Strain

1.0E-04
1.00E+00

1.00E+01

1.00E+02

1.00E+03

1.00E+04

1.00E+05

1.00E+06

1.00E+07

Endurance 2Nf

Cyclic stress-strain curve

Elastic-plastic strain-life curve

Used for calculating mean stresses. Used

for converting elastic FEA stresses into
elastic-plastic stress and strain.

Used for calculating cycle-by-cycle fatigue

damage.

Corrected for the effect of biaxial stresses.

Corrected for the effect of biaxial stresses

to give a Brown-Miller analysis.

1.00E+08

Materials data effect of temperature

Other environmental effects may include strain rate effects, strain ageing,
oxidation, stress relaxation and creep.
600

De
2

Stress (MPa)

500

1.0E+00

1.0E-01

400
300

1.0E-02

200
1.0E-03

100
0
0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

Strain

1.0E-04
1.00E+00

1.00E+01

1.00E+02

1.00E+03

1.00E+04

1.00E+05

1.00E+06

1.00E+07

Endurance 2Nf

Cyclic stress-strain curve

Elastic-plastic strain-life curve

Used for calculating mean stresses. Used

for converting elastic FEA stresses into
elastic-plastic stress and strain.

Used for calculating cycle-by-cycle fatigue

damage.

Corrected for the effect of biaxial stresses.

Corrected for the effect of biaxial stresses

to give a Brown-Miller analysis.

1.00E+08

Forming and assembly stresses

Punch

Blank Holder

Die
Sheet Metal Forming Simulation

Forming and assembly stresses

Forming and assembly stresses

(a)

(b)

Fatigue life contours for a Ford oil-pan

(a) excluding and (b) including effects of
forming process
Assembly stresses, residual stresses etc, can be included.

Durability by design?
Stress
amplitude

S-N curve

N cycles

Location of max stress.

Calculate stress amplitude and
mean stress
ampP
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328
0.000328

(sf-sm)/E
0.001855
0.001793
0.001731
0.001669
0.001607
0.001545
0.001483
0.001421
0.001359
0.001297
0.001235
0.001173
0.001111
0.001048
0.000986

1.25113
1.209275
1.16742
1.125565
1.08371
1.041855
1
0.958145
0.91629
0.874435
0.83258
0.790725
0.74887
0.707015
0.665161

0.006059
0.005813
0.005567
0.00532
0.005074
0.004828
0.004581
0.004335
0.004089
0.003842
0.003596
0.00335
0.003103
0.002857
0.002611

2.00E+05 ampE
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619
0.313619

0.0019
0.001823
0.001746
0.001669
0.001591
0.001514
0.001437
0.00136
0.001282
0.001205
0.001128
0.001051
0.000973
0.000896
0.000819

ampP
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947
0.000947

amp
0.002848
0.00277
0.002693
0.002616
0.002539
0.002461
0.002384
0.002307
0.00223
0.002152
0.002075
0.001998
0.001921
0.001843
0.001766

Stress
amplitude

amp/Sao
1.194403
1.162002
1.129602
1.097201
1.064801
1.0324
1
0.9676
0.935199
0.902799
0.870398
0.837998
0.805597
0.773197
0.740796

Mean stress

Haigh Diagram

Durability by design
Duty cycles
Not just the
most severe

Biaxial, strain-based,
critical plane, critical
distance

Duty cycle

All stresses and

temperatures

Stress
Strain-based,
high temp.
600

De
2

Stress (MPa)

500

1.0E-01

1.0E-02

200
1.0E-03

100
0
0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

Strain

0.03

Fatigue
analysis

Life

Material
data

1.0E+00

400
300

Define failure criteria

based on risk

1.0E-04
1.00E+00

1.00E+01

1.00E+02

1.00E+03

1.00E+04

1.00E+05

1.00E+06

1.00E+07

1.00E+08

Endurance 2Nf

Life
contours

INTERFACES
Input/output

Loading

ABAQUS .fil
ABAQUS .odb
NASTRAN f06

FEA
Design

ABAQUS, ANSYS
I-DEAS,
NASTRAN, Pro/E

Stress
results

NASTRAN op2

fe-safe

ANSYS .rst
I-DEAS .unv
Pro/M s01..., d01
General .csv
Output

Redesign

Hypermesh .hmres
PATRAN
Life
contours

FEMVIEW
CADFIX
FEMAP

fe-safefe durability analysis from FEA

Plasticity
Battelle 1947. Fatigue manual for US Navy
we should look at that portion of the
stress-strain diagram between the
beginning of the tiniest permanent
deformation and the yield strength

400

Cyclic test
350

Yield stre
0.2% proo
from tens

Stress: MPa

300

250

200

SAE1030 steel
150

100

Onset of plasticity
in fatigue

50

Modern fatigue analysis is the study of the effects of small amounts of

inelasticity
Strain
0

0.002

0.004

0.006

0.008

S-N curves with elastic FEA

s

s
Elastic FEA
Amplitude is smaller
Mean stress is lower

ee

eas

Cycles at R=0. Elastic FEA (grey) and actual (black)

Stress

S-N curves with elastic FEA

Stress max/min (MPa)

400

2014-T6
300
200
100
0
-100
105

10 6
Life (cycles)

7
10

a
s

20
14
- Strain
T6

eas

Cycles at R=0. Elastic FEA (grey) and actual (black)

Stress max/min (MPa)

400

SAE1030
300
200
100
0
-100
105

10 6
Life (cycles)

7
10

Stress

S-N curves with elastic FEA

a
s

20
14
- Strain
T6

S-N curves with elastic FEA

Even for high cycle fatigue, mean stresses will be wrong
unless we do a plasticity correction.
Without a plasticity correction, we are limited to infinite life
design at mean stresses close to zero.

Stress max/min (MPa)

400

SAE1030
300
200
100
0
-100
105

10 6
Life (cycles)

7
10

S-N curves with elastic FEA

Changes in mean stress caused by local plasticity

S-N curves with elastic FEA

S-N curves with elastic FEA

s ae

s me
sm

Stress

ssaa

Plasticity reduces the mean stress

We may try to adjust the Goodman diagram to
compensate for the error in calculating mean
stresses

Strain

S-N curves with elastic FEA

s ae

s me
sm

Stress

ssaa

Sa
Strain

local - elastic

S
Kt

local

notched

0
0

Sm

UTS

S-N curves with elastic FEA

200

Stress amplitude MPa

MANTEN steel
Local sae , s me

150

100

Notched Sa , Sm

Notched ductile

Kt

Local sa , s m

50

Notched brittle
0
0

100

200

300

Mean stress (MPa)

400

500

600

S-N curves with elastic FEA

SAE1045 steel
Stress amplitude MPa

150

Local sae , s me

100

Notched ductile

Notched Sa , Sm

Kt

Local sa , s m

50

Notched brittle
0
0

100

200

300

400

Mean stress (MPa)

500

600

700

S-N curves with elastic FEA

Stress amplitude MPa

200

Local sae , s me

150

100

Notched Sa , Sm

Notched ductile

Local sa , s m

50

Notched brittle
0
0

FKM Guidelines Figure 4.3.3

100

200

300

400

500

600

Mean stress (MPa)

The FKM mean stress correction diagram is an empirical estimate of this

plasticity effect
But the for complex loading the mean stresses will be wrong because
plasticity is being ignored.

S-N curves with elastic FEA

FKM Guidelines Figure 4.3.3

The FKM mean stress correction diagram is an empirical estimate of this

plasticity effect
But the for complex loading the mean stresses will be wrong because
plasticity is being ignored.

S-N curves with elastic FEA

there is some yielding, even for high cycle fatigue

there is even more yielding if the mean stresses are not zero
yielding changes the mean stresses from cycle to cycle
Therefore the statement ...
for high cycle fatigue there is no difference between the S-N curve and strain-life
approaches to fatigue
...is not true

An essential feature of fatigue analysis from elastic FEA is the plasticity correction

RESULTS
fatigue lives and crack sites

how much the stresses must be changed to

achieve the design life
probability of failure at design life

which loads need to be included during lab testing

100

Survival (%)

probability of survival at specified lives to predict warranty claims

99.9
User profile 1
User profile 2

99.8

99.7
1

10

100

1000

Miles

10000

100000

1000000

RESULTS
fatigue lives and crack sites

how much the stresses must be changed to

achieve the design life
probability of failure at design life

which loads need to be included during lab testing

100

Survival (%)

probability of survival at specified lives to predict warranty claims

99.9
User profile 1
User profile 2

99.8

99.7
1

10

100

1000

Miles

10000

100000

1000000

fe-safe has two methods

Stress amplitude

FRF - fatigue reserve factor

From a standard or user-defined mean stress
curve.

Applies only to infinite life design.

Mean stress

FOS factor of strength for specified life or lives

An iterative process Scales the elastic FEA stresses
Recalculates the plasticity for the whole stress history
Recalculates the life
Repeats until it finds the scale factor to give the required life
Applies for finite and infinite life

RESULTS
fatigue lives and crack sites

how much the stresses must be changed to

achieve the design life
probability of failure at design life

which loads need to be included during lab testing

100

Survival (%)

probability of survival at specified lives to predict warranty claims

99.9
User profile 1
User profile 2

99.8

99.7
1

10

100

1000

Miles

10000

100000

1000000

fe-safe combines material and load variability

De
2

Probability of survival
Uses Weibull distribution of
fatigue strength and Gaussian
variability in load values
Loading

Endurance

RESULTS
max stress at each node
max stress / yield stress
max stress / UTS

Haigh diagram, Smith diagram

Dang Van diagram
Time histories of stress tensor, principal stress/strain ...

Examples of fe-safe analysis

Forged aluminium alloy suspension component

3 unit load linear elastic

FE analyses

Forged aluminium alloy suspension component

Test fatigue
life : 41000
miles (long cracks)
life contours
fe-safe : 27000 miles (crack initiation)

Bearing-grade steel fatigue

BEARING STEEL CHARACHTERISTICS

MECHANICAL

High Hardness (HRC 58-65)

Very High Tensile Strength (>300 ksi)
Excellent Wear Resistance
Excellent Rolling Contact Fatigue Endurance

Bearing-grade steel fatigue

TESTING
FE METHODS

ANALYTICAL FATIGUE ASSESSMENT

FKM-Guideline

fe-safe
METALLURGIC STUDY

Bearing-grade steel fatigue

fe-safe detects contact and uses more complex analysis methods

Bearing-grade steel fatigue

Inputs for FEA/fe-safeTM analysis

Life Theory
Brown-Miller strain-life criteria used. Trials made with
other criteria, such as Principal Stress, BM Combined,
Mises, and Principal Strain.

Surface Effect
Default method in fe-safeTM worked well with Ra
surface finish as manufactured on the real parts.

Material Strain-Life Properties

SAE52100 in fe-safeTM database utilized with some
modification per INA USA 52100 test data.
Tensile Test Sample with Bearing Steel

Bearing-grade steel fatigue

Results: Weibull plot of real test data at

20KN load. L50 (test) 110K cycles.
From FEA/fe-safeTM with Brown-Miller
strain-life criteria and Morrow mean
stress correction, L50 (analysis) 92K
cycles.

Analysis results well within Weibull

confidence bands at L50.
Note wide range of real results, inherent
to bearing grade steel. (52100)

fe-safeTM result

Weibull Plot of Tripod Roller Test at 20KN

Bearing-grade steel fatigue

Results: Weibull plot of real test data at

21KN load. L50 (test) 55K cycles.
From FEA/fe-safeTM with Brown-Miller
strain-life criteria and Morrow mean stress
correction, L50 (analysis) 58K cycles.
Analysis results well within Weibull
confidence bands at L50.
Note wide range of real results, inherent to
bearing grade steel. (52100)

fe-safeTM result

Weibull Plot of Tripod Roller Test at 21KN

Comparison of fe-safe and the S-N + Haigh method

Actual crack site

fe-safe

S-N +Haigh
Fatigue life contours

Comparison of fe-safe and ASME B&PV

fe-safe Users Group Meeting

October 14, 2008
Slide 93

ASME B&PV (Section VIII div. 2) code design analysis procedures

date to the 1960s
Based on plate and shell theory (2D elastic)
Stresses are decomposed into various classes (primary,
secondary, local, thermal, membrane, bending)
Stresses resolved on Stress Classification Lines (SCL) or cutlines by linearization (analyst chooses cut-lines)
Choosing SCLs and classifying stresses can be difficult and time
consuming

Comparison of fe-safe and ASME B&PV

Piping Test Section

fe-safe Users Group Meeting

October 14, 2008
Slide 94

fe-safe Users Group Meeting

October 14, 2008
Slide 95

Comparison of fe-safe and ASME B&PV

Temperature, Pressure and Flow Rate Time Histories

600

300

250

400

200
Pressure

300

150

200

100
Flow Rate

100

50

0
0

20

40

60

80

100
Time (seconds)

120

140

160

180

0
200

Pressure*10 (psi)

500

Test Section Flow Rate (gpm)

Bulk Water Temperature (F)

Temperature

Comparison of fe-safe and ASME B&PV

Cracked Spacer Ring

fe-safe Users Group Meeting

October 14, 2008
Slide 96

Comparison of fe-safe and ASME B&PV

fe-safe Users Group Meeting

October 14, 2008
Slide 97

Observations
fe-safe compares well with the ASME B&PV code fatigue
procedure without need of SCLs
. it just works automatically

Fatigue Life of a Supercharger Torsion Isolator Spring

Mike Otto
October 14, 2008

Fatigue Life of a Supercharger Torsion Isolator Spring

One Option: Single Spring Isolator (SSI)

Gear
Rear Hub
Spring

Front Hub
SSI comprised of three simple parts.
Hubs are press fit to the drive shafts. The spring is captured within an internal pocket.
The spring winds and unwinds to absorb engine speed variation.
Spring rate is selected to isolate the supercharger from the engines torsional vibrations.

Fatigue Life of a Supercharger Torsion Isolator Spring

Vehicle Load Signature

As Measured Torque Signature

The torque signature represents engine acceleration.

High sampling frequency is required to capture peaks in signal.

Fatigue Life of a Supercharger Torsion Isolator Spring

fe-safe life contours
Residual Stress: +103 MPa;

Crack
developed
here.

fe-safe life = 67.5K cycles

Single part failed at

60K cycles.

Federal Mogul - Modern diesel piston

ABAQUS and fe-safe

used to accurately predict
location and time to crack
initiation

Crack initiation site

Problem: Crack at root of

valve pocket radius

fe-safe fatigue contours

fe-safe - identification of surfaces

Identifies all surfaces in a model or assembly

Allows analysis of the surface nodes for faster analysis
Allows stress gradient/critical distance correction from surface nodes
Allow faster fatigue solvers for surface nodes

Inner and outer surfaces indentified

fe-safe - identification of hotspots

Identifies the fatigue hotspots
User can define hot-spot criteria e.g. FOS < 1.2
What if investigations can be applied to hotspots
Stress gradient/critical distance corrections can be applied to hot-spots

Surface node

fe-safe damage vector plotting

Shows direction of crack initiation
Arrow length is proportional to fatigue damage
Can be displayed for whole model or for hot-spots

fe-safe property mapping

Varies the materials properties at each node
Example from a casting simulation from Magma

Abaqus

Casting simulation

fe-safe

Contour plot
of material
properties

(Finite Difference
model)

(Finite Element
model)

fe-safe uses the

mapped nodal
properties for
the fatigue life
analysis

Node 1:: Material 1

Node 2 :: Material 2
Mapping model eqn
ID for each property

A property
mapping file
is generated

fe-safe wide choice of algorithms

Strain-life and stress-life

Picture

Automatic detection and analysis of surface contact

Sub-surface crack initiation..etc

fe-safe can select the algorithm automatically, and

change algorithm in an assembly of different materials

fe-safe system features

Network licence, WAN licencing, world-wide licencing

Distributed processing validated on a network of over 100

machines
Multi-processor support threaded code (no extra costs)

Batch operation with parameter modification for parametric

studies
Save standard analyses as templates

Can be launched from other applications (Isight, Workbench)

Windows, Linux, Unix

PCs, HP, Sun, IBM-AIX, SGI

Includes signal processing and fatigue from strain gauges

fe-safe system features

fe-safe FEA model files -

Multiple FEA files can be concatenated on input

More than 1 TerraByte of concatenated files can be input
No limit to the number of steps and increments (validated for 220
000 steps/increments)
No limit to the number of load cases that can be superimposed
Can read integration point, nodal averaged or nodal data
Can read integration point data and generate nodal averaged or
nodal data

fe-safe system features

fe-safe plug-in algorithm allows users to write their own fatigue
algorithm
Located in a dll
Called for each node

fe-safe generates the stress tensor sequence

Supports stress, strain, temperature, time-dependency and
property mapping

Users may add extra parameters to the materials data base

Plug-in can be called once to initialise and read in data from
the screen or batch file if required. A GUI is auto-generated.

Looks exactly like a native fe-safe algorithm

Loading
Signal

Single load history

Summary of Tests - DEF STAN 00-35

0.1

g2/Hz

PSD

0.01

0.001

0.0001

0.00001
1

10

100

1000

10000

Hz

Rainflow
cycles

Superimposed load histories

Sequencies of FEA solutions

Modal superimposition steady

state and random dynamic

+
+

Complex loading sequences

can be defined easily

FEA transient
analysis
- non-proportional

N repeats
Unit load stresses x load histories
superimposed

N2 repeats

fe-safe where does the damage come from?

Damage per block

45

Damage (%)

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Block

Damage for N repeats of each loading block

fe-safe is a complete system, with few add-ons

fe-safe add-ons
Thermo-mechanical fatigue (/TMF)
and creep-fatigue (/TurboLife)
(example turbine blade)

Fatigue of welded joints using

the Verity method from Battelle.
Includes high temperature fatigue.
The Verity method has been adopted
by the ASME B&PV Design code
Section 8 Div II.

fe-safe add-ons
fe-safe/composites with Helius:fatigueTM

INTERFACES
Input/output

Loading

ABAQUS .fil
ABAQUS .odb
NASTRAN f06

FEA
Design

ABAQUS, ANSYS
I-DEAS,
NASTRAN, Pro/E

Stress
results

NASTRAN op2

fe-safe

ANSYS .rst
I-DEAS .unv
Pro/M s01..., d01
General .csv
Output

Redesign

Hypermesh .hmres
PATRAN
Life
contours

FEMVIEW
CADFIX
FEMAP

fe-safefe durability analysis from FEA

Key features
FAST

Loading

ACCURATE
EASY TO USE

FEA
Design

ABAQUS, ANSYS
I-DEAS,
NASTRAN, Pro/E

Stress
results

fe-safe

Redesign

Widely validated - Widely used

Selected
by file
some
of
Maximum
FEA
sizehundreds
is 1 Terra-byte
leading engineering companies

Life
contours

COMPREHENSIVE
Complex loading
Safety factors
Probability analysis
Multiaxial fatigue
Cast iron analysis
Virtual strain gauges
High temperature fatigue
Welded joints
fe-safe/Rotate
fe-safe/TMF
fe-safe/TurboLife
Verity module in fe-safe
fe-safe/composites with
Helius:fatigue
TM

TM