| Overview |
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In
general, structures contain microstructural defects
such as porosities, voids etc., which can lead
to the formation of cracks if the service loadings
exceed a certain level. Once a crack is present,
it may grow in a stable manner and after a certain
time result in an unstable crack growth and eventually
the ultimate failure of the structure.
To ensure that such cracks do not become critical within the service
life of the structure, fracture control techniques are used to
predict the structural influence of the cracks. Fracture control
has been implemented for several space projects during the past.
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| Funding |
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100%
funded by the European Space Agency, under RTD
budgets.
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| Implementation |
The
ESACRACK graphical user interface is developed under
ESA contracts (Thermal and Structures Division).
The calculation kernel was developed and maintained
by NLR. The GUI
maintenance, and the marketing strategy evaluation
are carried out by DOREA under NLR contract. |
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Load
Spectra - Fatigue and material fracture analysis
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