Fatigue crack growth simulation for CFRP bonded steel plates using boundary element method

Composite repair has been verified to be an efficient and economical method to extend the service life of cracked steel components. There is a need to develop an accurate tool for investigating the stress intensity factor in the cracked steel structure after repair. In this paper the crack propagation of steel plates bonded with CFRP sheets is studied numerically using the boundary element method. The composite patch and the cracked steel plate are simulated using surface elements, whereas the adhesive layer is simulated as interface elements to connect the patch and steel plate. The numerical results are compared with the experimental results from previous research. The influences of the boundary conditions, CFRP modulus and the spring stiffness on the results are discussed.