A probabilistic fatigue life prediction for adhesively bonded joints via ANNs-based hybrid model

Abstract The paper is aimed at developing an efficient and robust probabilistic fatigue life prediction framework for adhesively bonded joints. This framework calibrates the fatigue life model by quantifying uncertainty in the fatigue damage evolution relation using a set of experimental fatigue life data. Probabilistic assessment of fatigue life is simulated through damage evolution along the bondline and Bayesian inference via the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling method for inverse uncertainty quantification (UQ). To expedite the fatigue life simulation, a hybrid model composed of physics-based fatigue damage evolution relation and a data-driven artificial neural networks (ANNs) model is employed. The degradation of the adhesive is evaluated by the fatigue damage evolution relation which is then mapped to the strain redistribution along the bondline using the ANNs model. Once the mapping is learned by the ANNs, through data from FEA simulations, the probabilistic fatigue life prediction framework involves three successive modules: (I) fatigue damage growth (FDG) simulator, (II) uncertainty quantification (UQ), and (III) confidence bounds for fatigue life prediction. The FDG simulator can be used for simulating fatigue degradation rapidly for a given geometric configuration under any arbitrary fatigue loading spectra. The quantified uncertainties from the framework correspond to the intrinsic statistical material properties that can be used for probabilistic fatigue life prediction in any joint configuration with the same adhesive material. The probabilistic framework is verified using a single lap joint (SLJ) by quantifying uncertainties which are then used for probabilistic fatigue life prediction in laminated doublers in the bending (LDB) joint, that uses the same adhesive material as SLJ, and successfully compared with experimental data. The framework is also tested and validated by estimating probabilistic fatigue life in other joint configurations under constant and variable amplitude fatigue loading spectra.