Award

The proposed efforts outline a computational method for predicting the fretting fatigue life of naval aero-structural components to improve durability, reliability, performance, and evaluate mitigation strategies. Existing models suffer from being overfit to empirical results, not being properly representative of realistic multiaxial loading conditions, and neglecting critical factors such as temperature effects and varying coefficient of friction. Triton’s model will provide a broadly applicable and scalable tool for the Navy to evaluate parametric influences on fretting fatigue, predict the performance of naval aero-structural components, and optimize mitigation strategies to prevent unexpected failures. In Phase I, Triton will tailor an advanced modeling framework to demonstrate accurate prediction of fretting fatigue in a representative component geometry with aerospace-relevant materials. In Phase II, Triton will optimize the model for performance accuracy, reliability and scalability – delivering a model prototype for demonstration. Testing will be completed to validate the model. Beyond Phase II, Triton will market the tool as a practical engineering asset for fretting fatigue evaluation and mitigation to both military and commercial markets.