Development of Atomistically-Informed Peridynamics Framework for Corrosion Fatigue Damage Prediction

Corrosive environments together with cyclic loading can lead to the formation of localized corrosion pits and corrosion fatigue cracks which can significantly deteriorate the structural integrity of aircraft components. The exact nature of corrosion fatigue damage is dependent on the competing multi-scale processes resulting from complex interactions between the structural material, its environment, local microstructure and mechanical variables. In order to assess the durability and integrity of aircraft components (especially of aging fleet) there is a need to develop new theoretical models which can predict corrosion fatigue damage by accounting the interactions between the multi-scale phenomena. In the Phase I program, ACT developed a novel corrosion modeling methodology using peridynamics and demonstrated its potential for physics based modeling of corrosion damage. In the Phase II program, ACT will continue the methodology development initiated in Phase I and develop a robust physics-based computational tool for accurate corrosion fatigue damage prediction across different length scales. The resulting tool will enable prediction of corrosion fatigue life in naval aircraft components exposed to different corrosive environments during their service life.