The Boeing Company
System and method for predicting failure initiation and propagation in bonded structures

Abstract:

A method includes obtaining failure initiation characteristics of a bonding layer of one or more bonded structures and determining, based on the failure initiation characteristics, a first characteristic dimension for each analysis element of a first portion of a finite element analysis model. The method includes obtaining failure propagation characteristics of the bonding layer and determining, based on the failure propagation characteristics, a second characteristic dimension for each analysis element of a second portion of the model. The method includes assigning a first set of material parameters to analysis elements of the first portion of the model and assigning a second set of material parameters to analysis elements of the second portion of the model. The method includes evaluating failure modes of the one or more bonded structures based on a solution to the model, the first set of material parameters, and the second set of material parameters.