Mixed mode fatigue crack growth in aluminum plates with composite patches

Fatigue crack growth behavior in Al 6061-T6 thick aluminum plate with composite material patch was studied. A 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60° inclined crack plates repaired with patch were tested. The effect of patch and inclined angle were studied and compared to each other. Also, we investigated the crack propagation direction and debonding behavior during the fatigue crack growth test. In this paper, a study was conducted to get a fatigue life, fatigue crack growth ratio and crack growth direction. Finally, the effectiveness of composite patch on inclined cracked plate was investigated. The results demonstrated that there was a definite variation in fatigue life and fatigue crack growth behavior depending on the inclined crack angle.