Determination of local characteristics for the application of the Weakest-Link Model

✍ Scribed by A. Diemar; R. Thumser; J. W. Bergmann

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 247 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0933-5137
• DOI: 10.1002/mawe.200400872

✦ Synopsis

The Weakest-Link model is based on defects that are statistically distributed within the material with local stress. The failure at least at one defect causes the failure of the total structure. Based on this model, the so-called statistic size effect can be evaluated in the case of cyclic loading and in the case of static loading the failure behaviour of ferritic steel within the brittle fracture range is highlighted.

The application of the Weakest-Link model requires the allocation of the local characteristics -surface and / or volume -to the discrete points of the stress. By using the method "SPIEL" which is independent from the FE code used, the allocation of couples of values -surface and stress and / or volume and stress -by a suitable choice of unit load cases is possible. In consequence of the method "SPIEL" particularities are to be taken into consideration. In the present paper these particularities will be described exemplarily for the FE programs ABAQUS 1 and ANSYS 2 .