The prediction of fatigue crack growth of rotary kiln shell welded under cyclic loading

Abstract

In this paper, fatigue crack propagation in the kiln shell welded under cyclic loading has been estimated using computerized finite element analysis (S-Version FEM). By using the S-FEM technique, it makes the local mesh which is re-meshed automatically, then it becomes easier to make a numerical study of crack growth on the welded kiln shell. Virtual crack closure integral method (VCCM) uses the stress intensity factor evaluated. From the results, it was observed that the crack depth grows faster as the number of cycles increased. It was found that the initial crack of welded shell propagates slowly, and beyond 8 × 105 cycles increase quickly. In addition, the effect of stress distribution and stress intensity factor on cracking have been discussed and evaluated. The life of the component depends on the initial crack depth, stress intensity factors and crack inclination angle.