Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173

DOI 10.1007/s00170-016-9957-6

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Probabilistic approach for predicting fatigue life

improvement of cracked structure repaired by high interference
fit bushing
A. Bahloul 1 & A. Ben Ahmed 1 & M. M. Mhala 1 & C. H. Bouraoui 1

Received: 11 October 2016 / Accepted: 20 December 2016 / Published online: 30 December 2016
# Springer-Verlag London 2016

Abstract The purpose of this paper consists in developing a Keywords Residual stress . Finite element analysis .
probabilistic approach for predicting fatigue life improvement Interference fit process . Monte Carlo simulation . Life
of 7075-T6 cracked Single Edge Notch Tension (SENT) spec- prediction . Probability density function PDF . P-S-N curves
imen repaired by high interference fit bushing. The developed
approach is carried out by coupling FE-analysis and Monte
Carlo reliability method. In this context, a 2D- finite element Nomenclature
analysis of the cracked SENT specimen using ABAQUS com- a Crack size [mm]
mercial software is established to: (i) simulate the interference b Fatigue strength exponent
fit process and (ii) to predict the fatigue life improvement after c Fatigue ductility exponent
repair. The non-linear isotropic/kinematic hardening model em- D Hole diameter [mm]
bedded in ABAQUS is used to characterize the material behav- Dc Critical damage
ior. Different stress levels, different interference fit sizes and DPSWT SWT damage parameter
different expanded hole diameters are investigated. As a result, E Modulus of elasticity [MPa]
crack arrest hole diameter equals to 6 mm with larger interfer- f{X}({Xi}) Joint probability density function
ence fit size (IFS = 0.2 mm) provides higher beneficial com- f X i ð xi Þ Probability density function of the element xi
pressive residual stress distribution and higher fatigue life im- I({x}) Indicator failure function
provement than drilling hole near the crack tip. The iso- IFS Interference fit size [mm]
probabilistic S-N curves and the Reliability-Life curves after L Load function
repair can be determined for different interference fit sizes and N Number of random sampling in the MCS
different expanded hole diameters. This probabilistic approach MCS Monte Carlo simulation
can be used with the interference fit process as an interesting Pf Failure probability
and practical tool to ensure an optimal maintenance planning R Stress ratio
for cracked structures and to improve the fatigue lives of these S Strength function
cracked components that cannot be replaced as soon as the SENT Single Edge Notch Tension specimen
cracks are observed, especially in the aeronautical filed. t Thickness of specimen [mm]
W Width of specimen [mm]
Δε/2 Strain amplitude
0
* A. Bahloul εf Fatigue ductility coefficient
bahloulahmad@hotmail.fr εD Initial critical deformation
εR Deformation at rupture
0
1
Laboratoire de Mécanique de Sousse, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs
σf Fatigue strength coefficient [MPa]
de Sousse, Université de Sousse, Bp.264 Erriadh, σm Mean stress [MPa]
4023 Sousse, Tunisia σmax Maximum normal stress [MPa]
2162
σres Residual stress [MPa]
σy Yield strength [MPa]
2-D Two dimensional
1 Introduction
Failure analysis of cracked structures is among the most sig-
nificant challenging point in the engineering industry. Crack
propagation life estimation is often used in the aeronautical
field to determine the optimal inspection time [1] for a grow-
ing crack before it becomes critical. Therefore, looking for a
procedure/method to arrest fatigue crack growth before failure
is very useful. In this context, Several investigations have
dealt with the idea of arresting fatigue crack growth [2] such
as: repairing the cracked zone by application of composite
patches [3], indentation [4, 5], cold expansion hole technique
[6], drilling holes near the crack tip [7–9], and applying an
overloading step [10].
Drilling holes near the crack tip is among the most suitable
and practical method for improving the fatigue life of struc-
tures containing cracks. In this context, and based on experi-
mental tests carried out in 6005-A-T6 aluminum alloy cracked
specimens, Ghfiri et al. [6] proved that the cold expansion of
drilling hole improves the residual fatigue life. Murdami et al.
[11] investigated arresting crack by introducing a new techni-
cal method which consists in drilling ancillary holes near the
stop hole in order to reduce the stress concentration. Later,
Makabe et al. [12] studied crack retardation by redirecting
crack growth. They inserted pins into the drilling hole and
they proved the method’s capability for extending fatigue life.
Recent works have investigated numerically crack-growth
arresting methods by drilling holes in the cracked zone.
Ayatollahi et al. [7] studied the effect of the stop drill hole
for a cracked specimen under mixed mode loading. They
proved that the stop drill hole technique is more efficient for
improving fatigue life under mixed mode loading than under
pure mode I. According to Ayatollahi et al. [8], drilling two
symmetric holes in the vicinity of the crack tip can improve
the residual fatigue life much greater than the stop crack tip
hole.
Recently, Fanni et al. [9] proposed a new crack stop-hole
method to arrest existing crack before it becomes critical.
They found that fatigue life extension using optimum hole
shape near the crack tip, is significantly higher than using a
circular crack stop-hole.
More recently, Ravazi et al. [13] investigated the effect of
new stop-hole method for arresting fatigue crack propagation.
The main aim of the proposed method is to drill double stop-
hole near the crack tip in order to reduce the stress concentra-
tion at the edge of the stop holes. They showed that the double
stop drill-hole method provides higher fatigue life improve-
ment than the stop hole method.
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173
Moreover, it was demonstrated that the application of over-
load in cracked structure can produce a retardation period in
fatigue crack growth rate. This retardation period is affected
by the compressive residual stress distribution arising from the
overload step. In this context, many retardation models
[14–17] were proposed in order to predict the fatigue life after
overloading. But, it should be mentioned that Shin et al. [18]
showed that drilling hole near the crack tip is safer and more
practical than applying overload.
In the aerospace industry, the cold expansion technique or
the interference fit process has been used for over 40 years
[19–27]. The beneficial effect of this process for improving
the fatigue life of aerospace structures needs no more intro-
duction. It should be noted that all the previous studies used
essentially the cold expansion process to improve the fatigue
life of fastener holes or joints in the mechanical components.
There are few studies which investigated the interference fit
process as a technique to arrest existing crack before it be-
comes critical [6, 28].
The aim of the present paper is to investigate the interfer-
ence fit process as a technique for crack repair and to develop
a probabilistic approach that take into account the material
parameters scattering for predicting fatigue life improvement
of repaired cracked structures. The developed approach is car-
ried out by coupling FE-analysis and Monte Carlo reliability
method. Therefore, a 2D FE-analysis for a 7075-T6
Aluminum alloy cracked specimen using the non-linear
isotropic/kinematic hardening model is established. The
Reliability-Life curves and the iso-probabilistic S-N curves
after interference fit repair are determined for different inter-
ference fit sizes, different expanded hole diameters and differ-
ent material dispersion levels.
2 Theoretical background
2.1 Computational procedure for crack improvement life
Engineering structures are frequently subjected to fatigue
loads in which cracks may be initiated and propagated.
Looking for a procedure/model to predict the fatigue life of
these structures still remains among a challenging point in
several industrial sectors. In this context, various multi-axial
fatigue models [29–32] generally based on three criteria: (i)
the critical plane approach, (ii) the strain/stress-based ap-
proach and (iii) the energy-based approach, were proposed.
The damage parameter DPSWT proposed by Smith et al. [32] is
commonly accepted for engineering applications [9, 33].

0 2
Δεmax σf
DPSWT ¼ σmax ¼
0 0
ð2N i Þ2b þ ε f σ f ð2N i Þbþc ð1Þ
2 E
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173 2163

(a)
Where Ni, σmax, Δε2max , E are the number of cycles, the
maximum normal stress, the total strain amplitude and the
0
modulus of elasticity, respectively. ε f and c present the low-
0
cycle fatigue coefficients. σ f and b are the high-cycle fatigue
constants. In the present paper, the fatigue life improvement of
cracked SENT specimen repaired by high interference fit
bushing is investigated using the SWT model. According to
Ref. [33], the SWT‘s fatigue parameters for Al alloy 7075 –T6
are presented in Table 1.

2.2 Monte Carlo simulation method

Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method is considered as an

interesting tool for studying uncertain scenarios and providing
statistical and probabilistic analysis. MCS method is exten-
sively used in engineering disciplines [34–37] to evaluate risk
measurements with uncertain parameters, to study the sensi-
tivity effect of input factors on the desiring response at differ- A
ent dispersion levels and to compute their reliability.
(b)
To compute the reliability, let X be a vector of random
variable in which xi is an element of this vector, having f X i
ðxi Þ as a probability density function (PDF). Consider G(xi),
the performance function separating the unsafe and safe zone. Specimen

Gðxi Þ ¼ S ðxi Þ−Lðxi Þ ð2Þ

Where L(xi) and S(xi) are the load function and the strength Interference fit bushing
function [38], respectively. The probability of failure Pf can be
expressed as follows:

P f ¼ ∫Gðxi < 0Þ f fX g ðfX i gÞdX 1 ≤ i ≤ n ¼ PrðLðxi Þ > S ðxi ÞÞ ð3Þ

Fig. 1 (a) Specimen dimensions (mm) and (b) Interference fit process
Where Pr and f{X}({Xi}) represent the probability operator
and the joint PDF of the vector X, respectively. Three cases
can be observed: (i) structural safety condition G(xi) > 0 , (ii)
Where Nf(G(xi) < 0) is the number of failure events and
structural failure condition G(xi) < 0 and (iii) limit state func-
I({x}) represents the indicator failure function:
tion G(xi) = 0 .

Let N be the total number of MC simulation, for the N 1 if GðfxgÞ < 0
I ð f xgÞ ¼ ð5Þ
obtained value of G(xi), it is assumed that the failure event 0 if GðfxgÞ≥ 0
(i.e. G({x}) < 0 ) extends towards the failure probability Pf
when N → + ∞ [39]. Finally, the reliability R is computed as follows:

R ¼ 1−P f ð6Þ
N f ðGðxi Þ < 0Þ 1 N
P f ¼ lim ¼ lim ∑ I ð f xgÞ ð4Þ The generation of N random samplings of each input pa-
N→∞ N N →∞ N i¼1
rameters consists to define the following steps:

(i) The mean value of each parameter.

Table 1 Al 7075-T6 Strain-life data
(ii) The coefficient of variation (Cov) of each parameter
0
Fatigue strength coefficient σ f (MPa) 1466 which defines the dispersion range in terms of (%).
0
Fatigue ductility coefficient ε f 0.262 (iii) The probability density function (PDF) (i.e. it consists in
Fatigue ductilityexponent c -0.619 simulating several random samplings of input parame-
Fatigue strengthexponent b -0.143 ters according to their PDF, which are assumed to be
normally distributed in this case).
2164 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173

Table 3 Al 7075-T6 Cyclic fatigue parameters

C2(MPa) C2(MPa) γ1 γ2 Q (MPa) b

175,000 9000 3500 180 140 40

Fig. 2. The cyclic stress-strain values obtained from finite

element analysis at the edge of the hole, opposite from the
point where crack intersects the hole, is used to predict the
fatigue life improvement after repair. Different interference fit
sizes and hole diameters are considered in the present study.
In order to take into account the mean stress relaxation, the
Baushinger effect and the cyclic hardening during cyclic load-
ing, Lemaitre and Chaboche kinematic hardening model em-
bedded in the commercial code ABAQUS is used. The basic
equations of this plasticity model are described as follows
[40]:
2 p
X ¼ Cε −γX p ð7Þ
3
 
Y ¼ σy þ Q 1−e−bp ð8Þ

Where X and Y are the deviatoric part of the back stress

Fig. 2 Finite element mesh of the SENT specimen tensor and the radius of the yield surface, respectively. C, γ, Q
and b are the experimental material parameters and p represent
(iv) The total number of simulation events N (i.e. in this the accumulated plastic strain defined by the following equa-
case, the number of MCS is assumed to be equals to tion:
104 because from N = 104, the reliability values con- rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
verge (we obtain almost the same relative reliability 2 p p
p¼ ε :ε ð9Þ
values)). 3

It should be noted that the interference fit process can pro-

duce a beneficial compressive residual stress along the hole

3 Finite element analysis 42

Expirement [23], (R=0)
SWT model (present study)
In the present section, a 2D- FE analysis using ABAQUS 40
software is carried out. A Single Edge Notch Tension
(SENT) specimen with initial crack size is considered as
38
Maximum applied load (KN)

shown in Fig. 1a. In this study, the FE-analysis includes two

load steps. In the first step, the interference fit process was
simulated by applying a radial displacement on the nodes 36

situated at the hole edge up to the desired interference fit level

(i.e. resulting in expansion similar to the insertion of pin). In 34
the second step, a cyclic axial loading (R = 0.1) is applied to
estimate the fatigue life improvement of the cracked SENT 32
specimen after repair. In order to capture the proper stress-
strain behavior arising from the interference fit process, a very
30
fine mesh is implemented near the hole edge as illustrated in

Table 2 Al 7075-T6 28
mechanical properties Young Modulus (MPa) 70,940 10
4
10
5

Yield stress (MPa) 420 Fatigue Life (Cycles)

Poisson’s ratio 0.33 Fig. 3 Comparison between experimental data [23] and numerical
results
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173 2165

Fig. 4 Flowchart adopted for the Start

probabilistic approach

SENT Specimen + input parameters (actual

crack length , interference fit level, hole
diameter, detailed geometry, stress ratio...)

Elastic-plastic analysis using ABAQUS

Software

Interference fit process simulation

Applying cyclic loading

Life prediction using (Eq.1)

Read input data:

- Material data: Fatigue strength coefficient , Fatigue ductility

coefficient , Fatigueductility exponent c and Fatigue strength
exponent b.
- Coefficient of variation: Cov , Cov , Cov c and Cov b.
- Mean value: Mean_ , Mean_ ,Mean_c and Mean_b.

Generating N random sampling of S-N curves

Computing reliability using Monte Carlo simulation method

Iso-probabilistic S-N curves (P-S-N) Life-Reliability curves

edge. However, this compressive residual stress’s effect be- Where Dc , εD , εR, p , σeq, σH and v are the critical damage,
comes unappreciable with the high level of the interference fit the initial critical deformation, the deformation at rupture,
size. In order to make a balance between the beneficial com- the accumulated plastic strain, the Von Mises equivalent
pressive residual stress distribution and the damage associated stress, the hydrostatic stress of the applied tensor stress
with the interference fit process, Lemaitre and Chaboche’s and the Poisson’s ratio, respectively. In the first step, the
damage model [41] is used in its integrated form. This damage damage parameter is evaluated using Eq.10 and then, the
model can be expressed as follows: Young’s modulus E is updated after each increment as
"  2 # ! follows:
Dc 2 σH
Da ≅ p ð1 þ vÞ þ 3ð1−2vÞ −εD ð10Þ
εR −εD 3 σeq E tþΔt ¼ E t ð1−Dt Þ ð11Þ

Table 4 Statistical data of the random parameters

Parameters Mean value Coefficient of variation (Cov) Distribution

0 1466 1% Normal
σ f (MPa)
0 0.262 1% Normal
εf
c -0.619 1% Normal
b -0.143 1% Normal
2166
Fig. 5 Von Mises distribution
around the expanded hole
Where Et , Et + Δt and Dt are the Young’s modulus at
the instant t, the Young’s modulus at the instant t + Δt
and the damage value, respectively. The damage param-
eters used in this application are Dc = 0.23 , εD = 0.03
and εR = 0.25.
In this paper, User material subroutine is developed
to integrate the Lemaitre and Chaboche’s damage model
in the commercial FE code ABAQUS [42]. The Single
Edge Notch Tension (SENT) specimen used in this
study is assumed to be made from aluminum alloy.
The Al 7075-T6 mechanical parameters and their cyclic
fatigue parameters [43] are summarized in Table 2 and
Table 3, respectively.
4 Applications
4.1 Application 1: SWT model’s capability for predicting
fatigue life improvement after repair
The first application is established to validate the SWT
model ‘effectiveness for predicting the fatigue life im-
provement after repair. Therefore, a holed plate specimen
repaired by high interference fit bushing is considered.
The interference fit bushing diameter expanded into the
hole is equal to 5.05 mm. After the interference fit process
simulation, the specimen was applied to a cyclic fatigue
loading with zero load ratio (R = 0), for different applied
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173
loads. The SWT model is implemented to predict the fa-
tigue life improvement after repair. A comparison be-
tween the available experimental data and the numerical
results (Fig. 3) is carried out.
4.2 Application 2: probabilistic approach and reliability
analysis
In this section, a probabilistic approach for predicting the fa-
tigue life improvement of cracked SENT specimen (Fig. 1)
repaired by high interference fit bushing is implemented.
The main procedure for developing the probabilistic model
using FE-analysis and Monte Carlo simulation method is sum-
marized as follows (Fig. 4):
(1) An elastic-plastic analysis using the non-linear isotropic/
kinematic hardening model embedded in ABAQUS is car-
ried out. In the first step, the interference fit process was
simulated in the cracked SENT specimen. In the second
step, a cyclic axial loading (R = 0.1) for different applied
loads is applied to estimate the fatigue life improvement
after repair. Different interference fit sizes and hole expand-
ed diameters are considered in this analysis. The % expan-
sion (Ex) for each case can be computed as follows:
IFS ¼ Rexpanded −Rinitial ð12Þ
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173 2167

Fig. 6 Residual stress (a)

distribution (MPa) around
expanded hole for different
interference fit sizes: (a)
IFS = 0.1 mm (3.3%), (b)
IFS = 0.15 mm (5%) and (c)
IFS = 0.2 mm (6.7%)

(b)

(c)

IFS
%Ex ¼ 100  2  ð13Þ
D dispersion levels can be applied.
Where Ex, IFS and D are the expansion level (%),
the interference fit size (mm) and the hole diameter,
respectively.
(2) The cyclic stress-strain values obtained from finite ele-
ment analysis (i.e. min and max strain at the control point
CP for each interference fit size IFS and hole diameter D)
are used to predict the fatigue life improvement after
repair using the SWT model.
(3) Due to the significant fatigue data scatter, the proposed
approach was developed by taking into account the ma-
terial property dispersion. Their dispersions are assumed
to be normally distributed as illustrated in Table 4. The
generation of random sampling of each material param-
eter leads to transform the S-N diagram into three zones
as shown in Fig. 8b: an uncertainty zone, a zone of
absolute failure and zone of absolute safety. Different
(4) The reliability is computed for each material parameter
for different interference fit sizes and different expanded
hole diameters using the Monte Carlo simulation
(Strength-Load method).
(5) The iso-probabilistic P-S-N curves of the repaired SENT
specimen are determined for different interference fit
sizes and different expanded hole diameters.
5 Discussion
(i) In order to validate the accuracy of the finite element re-
sults, a comparison between fatigue life experimental data
and the obtained results for a holed plate specimen
2168
Fig. 7 Residual stress (a)
distribution (MPa) around
expanded hole for different hole
diameters: (a) D = 6 mm (3.3%),
(b) D = 8 mm (2.5%) and (c)
D = 10 mm (2%)
(b)
(c)
repaired by high interference fit bushing was carried out.
Figure 3 shows a good agreement between the available
experimental data and the SWT model results for
predicting fatigue life improvement after interference fit
process.
(ii) In the second application, the use of the interference fit
process as a crack repair method is investigated. The
Single Edge Notch Tension (SENT) specimen is consid-
ered in this application as shown in Fig. 1a. Figure 5
presents the Von Mises stress distribution along the hole
edge after interference fit technique simulation. It was
assumed that the beneficial effect of high interference
fit bushing is associated with the compressive residual
stress distribution along the expanded hole. Figure 6 and
Fig. 7 demonstrate the variation of residual stress distri-
bution around the hole edge after repair for different
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173
interference fit sizes (IFS) and different expanded hole
diameters. It is observed that the highest compressive
residual stress is obtained for 0.2 mm interference fit size
and small expanded hole diameter. The magnitude of
maximum compressive residual stress in its absolute val-
ue corresponding to 0.2 mm interference fit size is 1.12%
higher than 0.15 mm IFS and 7.37% higher than 0.1 mm
IFS. The magnitude of maximum compressive residual
stress at 0.1 mm IFS corresponding to 6 mm hole diam-
eter is 12.21% higher than 8 mm hole diameter and
30.6% higher than 10 mm hole diameter.
(iii) Figure 8a shows a comparison between the fatigue life
improvement of cracked SENT specimen repaired by
crack arrest hole (CAH) method (i.e. Ex = 0%) and by
interference fit bushing (i.e. Ex = 2.5%). It is found that
the interference fit process provides significant fatigue
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173 2169

Fig. 8 a. Fatigue life (a)

improvement for different degrees
of expansion: Ex = 0% and
Ex = 2.5%. b: Material property
dispersion in the probabilistic S-N
curve

(b)
250 , ,b=-

= =

200
Uncertainty zone
Max imum Stres s Amplitude (MPa)

Zone of absolute
150 safety Zone of absolute
failure

The determinisc S-N curve

100

50
4 5 6 7 8
10 10 10 10 10
Fatigue Life (Cycles)

life improvement compared to the conventional CAH
method, extensively used in several research works [6,
7]. The effectiveness of this technique is attributed to the
induced compressive residual stress around the hole
which shields it from the effect of cyclic loading.
(iv) Figure 9 and Fig. 10 show the variation of fatigue life
improvement of the repaired SENT specimen at differ-
ent stress amplitude levels. It is found that the highest
fatigue life improvement is corresponding to small ex-
panded hole diameters (Fig. 9) and higher interference
fit size (Fig. 10).
(v) Figure 11 illustrates the change of the computed reliabil-
ity with the fatigue life improvement of the cracked
SENT specimen after repair for different interference fit
sizes (IFS =0.1 mm, IFS = 0.15 mm and IFS = 0.2 mm).
A variation of the fatigue life improvement correspond-
ing to 0% and 100% reliabilities is observed. It is ob-
served that the fatigue life after repair for the SENT spec-
imen and their corresponding reliabilities increase when
the interference fit size increases. This result is consistent
with the physical observations.
(vi) Figure 12 shows the computed reliability results with
the fatigue life improvement for the same cracked
SENT specimen after interference fit process
(IFS = 0.1 mm) at different expanded hole diameters
(D = 6 mm, D = 8 mm and D = 10 mm). It is observed
that the change of the hole diameter leads to an impor-
tant variation of the fatigue life corresponding to 0% and
100% reliabilities. In fact, the best fatigue reliability is
obtained in the case of small expanded hole diameter.
2170 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173

300
R=0.1, IFS=0.1 mm, D=6 mm 1
R=0.1, IFS=0.1 mm, D=8 mm IFS=0.1 mm
R=0.1, IFS=0.1 mm, D=10 mm 0.9 IFS=0.15 mm
250 IFS= 0.2 mm
Maximum Stress Amplitude (MPa)

0.8

200 0.7

0.6

Reliability (%)
150
0.5

100 0.4

0.3

50
0.2

0.1
0 4 5 6 7 8
10 10 10 10 10 0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Fatigue Life (Cycles)
6
Fatigue Life (Cycles) x 10
Fig. 9 Fatigue life improvement after repair at different expanded hole
diameters Fig. 11 Reliability-life curves for different interference fit sizes

This result can be explained by the fact that the higher and b, it is observed that the dispersion level (Cov val-
0
compressive residual stress arising from the interference ue) of the fatigue ductility coefficient ε f and the fatigue
fit process is obtained for small hole diameter as shown ductility exponent c has no appreciable effect in the
in Fig. 7. prediction of fatigue life after crack repair. However,
(vii) The effects of material parameters scatter for predicting the scatter of the fatigue life after crack repair increases
fatigue life extension after interference fit process were when the Cov value of the fatigue strength coefficient
0
investigated. Figure 13a, b, c and d illustrate the varia- σ f and the fatigue strength exponent b increase as
tion of the computed fatigue reliability with the fatigue shown in Fig. 13c and d. Due the statistical distribution
life improvement of the cracked SENT specimen after of the material parameters, the obtained reliability-life
repair (IFS = 0.1 mm, D = 6 mm and R = 0.1) for three curves are very useful for engineering applications to
supposed Cov values (1%, 3% and 5%). From Fig. 13a
300
R=0.1, D=6 mm, Ex=3.33% 1
R=0.1, D=6 mm, Ex=5% IFS= 0.1 mm, D=6 mm
R=0.1, D=6 mm, Ex=6.7% 0.9 IFS= 0.1 mm, D=8 mm
250
IFS= 0.1 mm, D=10 mm
Maximum Stress Amplitude (MPa)

0.8

200
0.7

0.6
Reliability (%)

150
0.5

100 0.4

0.3

50
0.2

0.1
0 4 5 6 7 8
10 10 10 10 10
0
Fatigue Life (Cycles) 0 2 4 6 8 10
6
Fatigue Life (Cycles) x 10
Fig. 10 Fatigue life improvement after repair at different interference fit
sizes (IFS) Fig. 12 Reliability-life curves for different expanded hole diameters
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173 2171

(a) (c) ×10

1
Cov c=1%
0.9 Cov c=3%
Cov c=5%
0.8

0.7

0.6
Reliability(%)

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Fatigue Life (Cycles) 6
x 10
(b) (d) 1
Cov b=1%
0.9 Cov b=3%
Cov b=5%
0.8

0.7

0.6
Reliability (%)

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Fatigue Life (Cycles) 6
x 10
Fig. 13 Reliability-life curves for different Cov values

predict in a more efficient and reliable way the fatigue
life improvement of cracked structures after repair.
(viii) Figure 14 shows the iso-probabilistic S-N curves
(P-S-N) of cracked Single Edge Notch Tension
(SENT) specimen repaired by high interference
fit bushing for 5%, 50% and 95% reliabilities.
It is noted that the security zone is reduced when
the reliability values increase. These P-S-N
curves are considered as a powerful technique
for ensuring an optimal and safe maintenance
planning for cracked structures essentially in the
aeronautical field. It takes into account the influ-
ence of material dispersion for predicting in more
efficient and reliable way the fatigue life im-
provement after repair.
6 Conclusions
This paper aims to investigate the interference fit process as a
technique to arrest existing crack (crack repair) in mechanical
structures. In this context, a cracked SENT specimen is con-
sidered. The non-linear isotropic/kinematic hardening model
embedded in ABAQUS is used to characterize material be-
havior. Both, fatigue life improvement and compressive
2172
250 P-S-N curve after repair at 5% fatigue reliability for R=0.1
P-S-N curve after repair at 50% fatigue reliability for R=0.1
P-S-N curve after repair at 95% fatigue reliability for R=0.1
Maximum Stress Amplitude (Mpa)
200
150
100
50 5 6 7
10 10 10
Fatigue Life (Cycles)
Fig. 14 P-S-N curves for a cracked SENT specimen repaired by high
interference fit bushing (IFS = 0.1 mm and D = 6 mm) for 5%, 50% and
95% fatigue reliabilities
residual stress distribution arising from an interference fit pro-
cess are predicted for different interference fit sizes and differ-
ent expanded hole diameters. The following conclusions can
be drawn:
(i) Based on the finite element results, crack arrest hole di-
ameter equals to 6 mm with larger interference fit size
(IFS = 0.2 mm) provides higher beneficial compressive
residual stress distribution and higher fatigue life im-
provement. The interference fit process provides consid-
erable fatigue life extension and significant cost saving
for arrest existent crack compared to the conventional
technique (ie.drilling hole near the crack tip).
(ii) Fatigue tests show a large dispersion in predicting fatigue
life, this dispersion is mainly attributed to material fa-
tigue parameters. In this context, a probabilistic approach
for predicting fatigue life of cracked structures after re-
pair was developed. MCS method is used to evaluate
fatigue reliability with uncertain parameters
(iii) The P-S-N curves corresponding to 5%, 50% and 95%
fatigue reliability for different interference fit sizes and
different expanded hole diameters have been performed.
This method allows engineers, especially in aeronautical
field, to be engaged in practical problems to repair
cracked components in a more efficient and reliable way.
(iv) The suggested approach aimed to enhance the determin-
istic model for predicting fatigue life improvement of
cracked structures after repair by considering the mate-
rial parameters scattering. The proposed probabilistic
approach can be used as an interesting and practical
technique for crack repair. It can be ensured an optimal
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173
maintenance planning for a detectable crack size in me-
chanical structures.
References
1. Eltaief M, Chateauneuf A, Bouraoui C, Hassine T (2015) Dynamic
approach for optimal inspection planning of fatigue cracked com-
ponents. J Constr Steel Res 115:263–275
2. Domazet Z (1996) Comparaison of fatigue crack retardation
methods. Eng Fail Anal 3:137–147
3. Ayatollahi MR, Hashemi R (2007) Mixed mode fracture in an in-
clined center crack repaired by the composite patching. Composite
Structure 81:264–273
4. Song PS, Sheu GL (2002) Retardation of fatigue crack propagation
by indentation technique. Int J Pres Ves 79:725–733
8
5. Ruzek K, Pavlas J, Doubrava R (2012) Application of indentation
10 as retardation mechanism for fatigue crack growth. Int J Fatigue 37:
92–99
6. Ghfiri R, Amrouche A, Imad A, Mesmacque G (2000) Fatigue life
estimation after crack repair in 6005 AT-6 aluminium alloy using
the cold expansion hole technique. Fatigue & Fracture of
Engineering Materials & Structures 23:911–916
7. Ayatollahi MR, Razavi SMJ, Yahya MY (2015) Mixed mode fa-
tigue crack initiation and growth in a CT specimen repaired by stop
hole technique. Eng Fract Mech 145:115–127
8. Ayatollahi MR, Ravazi SMJ, Chamani HR (2014) A numerical
study on the effect of symmetric crack flank holes on fatigue life
extension of a SENT specimen. Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering
Materials & Structures 37:1153–1164
9. Fanni M, Fouda N, Shabara MAN, Awad M (2015) New crack stop
hole shape using structural optimizing technique. Ain Shams
Engineering Journal 3:987–999
10. Carlson RL, Kardomateas GA, Bates PR (1991) The effects of
overloads in fatigue crack growth. Int J Fatigue 13:453–460
11. Murdani A, Makabe C, Saimoto A, Kondou R (2008) A crack-
growth arresting technique in aluminum alloy. Eng Fail Anal 15:
302–310
12. Makabe C, Murdani A, Kuniyoshi K, Irei Y, Saimoto A (2009)
Crack-growth arrest by redirecting crack growth by drilling stop
holes and inserting pins into them. Eng Fail Anal 16:475–483
13. Razavi SMJ, Ayatollahi MR, Sommitsch C, Moser C (2016)
Retardation of fatigue crack growth in high strength steel S690
using a modified stop-hole technique, Engineering Fracture
Mechanics
14. Willenberg J, Engle RM, Wood HA (1971) A crack growth retar-
dation model using an effective stress concept. AFFDL-TM-71-1-
FBR
15. Wheeler OE (1972) Spectrum loading and crack growth. J Basic
Eng, Trans ASME 94:181–186
16. Yuen BKC, Taheri F (2006) Proposed modifications to the wheeler
retardation model for multiple overloading fatigue life prediction.
Int J Fatigue 28:1803–1819
17. Kim JK, Shim DS (2003) A statistical approach for predicting the
crack retardation due to a single tensile overload. Int J Fatigue 25:
335–342
18. Shin C, Wang CM, Song PS (1996) Fatigue damage repair: a com-
parison of some possible methods. Int. J. Fatigue 18:535–546
19. Buxbaum O, Huth H (1987) Expansion of cracked fastener holes as
a measure for extension of lifetime to repair. Eng Fract Mech 28:
689–698
20. Phillips JL (1974) Sleeve cold working fastener holes, Air Force
Materials Laboratory Report, AFML-TR-74-10, vol. 1
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 91:2161–2173
21. Landy MA, Champoux RL (1984) FTI engineering process speci-
fication FTI 8101B–cold expansion of fastener and other holes
using the split sleeve system(CX) and countersink cold expansion
Nosecap (CCX). Fatigue Technology Inc, Seattle
22. Reid L. (1993) Split sleeve cold expansion as a rework process for
previously cold expanded holes. ICAV’93 Internatioanl Committee
on Aeronautical Fatigue, Stockholm
23. Ayatollahi MR, Arian NM (2009) Edge distance effects on residual
stress distribution around a cold expanded hole in Al 2024 alloy.
Comput Mater Sci 45:1134–1141
24. Chakherlou TN, Mirzajanzadeh M, Abazadeh B, Saeedi K (2010)
An investigation about interference fit effect on improving fatigue
life of a holed single plate in joints. European Journal of Mechanics
A/Solids 29:675–682
25. Chakherlou TN, Aghdam AB (2008) An experimental investigation
on the effect of short time exposure to elevated temperature on fa-
tigue life of cold expanded fastener holes. Mater Des 29:1504–1511
26. Jun L, Henggui W, Jinjie Y, Zhufeng Y (2013) Effect of edge
distance on residual stresses induced by cold expansion and fatigue
life of TC4 plates. Engineerining Fracture Mechanics 109:130–137
27. Anil Kumar S, Bhattacharya A, Mahendra Babu NC (2014) Fatigue
growth life prediction around cold expanded hole using finite ele-
ment method. Procedia Materials science 5:316–325
28. Reid L (2014) Repairing and preserving bridge and steel structure
using an innovative crack arrest repair system. Adv Mater Res 891-
892:1217–1222
29. Morrow J (1968) Fatigue design handbook. In: Advances in
Enginnering, vol. 4. Society of automative Engineers, Philadelphia
30. Fatemi A, Socie (1988). A critical plane approach to multiaxial
fatigue damage including out-of-phase loading. Fatigue Fract Eng
Mater Struct 11(3):149–165
31. Wang CH, Brown MW (1993) A path-independent parameter for
fatigue under proportional and non-proportional loading. Fatigue
Fract Engng Mater Struct 16(12):1285–1298
2173
32. Smith KN, Watson P, Topper TH (1970) A stress-strain function for
the fatigue of metals. J Mater 15:767–778
33. Ying S, Weiping H, Fei SH, Qingchun M, Yuanming X (2016)
Numerical simulations of the fatigue damage evolution at a fastener
hole treated by cold expansion or with interference fit pin. Int J
Mech Sci 107:188–200
34. Bouraoui C, Ben Sghaier R, Fathallah R (2009) An engineering
predictive design approach of high cycle fatigue reliability of
shotpeened metallic parts. Mater Des 30:475–486
35. Nasr A, Bouraoui C, Fathallah R, Nadot Y (2009) Probabilistic high
cycle fatigue behaviour of nodular cast iron containing casting de-
fects. Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures 32:
292–309
36. He W, Liu J, Xie D (2015) Probabilistic life assessment on fatigue
crack growth in mixed-mode by coupling of kriging model and
finite element analysis. Eng Fract Mech 139:56–77
37. Sanches RF, de Jesus AMP, Correia JAFO, da Silva ALL,
Fernandes AA (2015) A probabilistic fatigue approach for riveted
joints using Monte Carlo simulation. J Constr Steel Res 110:149–
162
38. Zhao YG, Ono T (2001) Moment methods for structural reliability.
Struct Safety 23(1):47–75
39. Ditlevsen O, Madsen HO (1996) Structural reliability methods.
Wiley, New York
40. Lemaitre J, Desmorat R (2005) Engineering damage mechanics:
ductile, creep, fatigue and brittle failures berlin
41. Lemaitre J, Chaboche, JL (2002). Mécanique des matériaux solides.
Dunod (Edition 2), Paris
42. ABAQUS Theory Manual (2011) Version 6.10. Hibbitt, Karlsson
and Sorensen Inc, USA
43. Naderi M, Hoseini SH, Khonsari MM (2013) Probabilistic simula-
tion of fatigue damage and life scatter of metallic components. Int J
Plast 43:101–115