Adaptive multiscale analyses on structural failure considering localized damage evolution on vulnerable joints

Deterioration in structures starts from meso-scale defects on vulnerable joints where damage evolution becomes main reason of fatigue accumulation. Therefore analyses on structural failure induced by fatigue accumulation must be carried out in multi-scale. This paper is aimed to provide a multi-scale computational approach for structural failure analyses. Scale coupling method based on numerical integrated constraint equations is developed. This scale coupling method can guarantee sufficient computing precision when material at the trans-scale boundary keep elastic. However in structural deterioration process, material nonlinearities can evolve to the trans-scale boundary, thus make this scale coupling method invalid. A methodological strategy considering adaptive trans-scale boundary is proposed to deal with the extension of local nonlinear response during analyses. With application of the multi-scale modeling and computation strategy developed in this paper, failure processes of a beam component with defect and a longitudinal stiffening truss are analyzed. Results show that, damage evolution has acceleration effect on macroscopic deterioration of structure property, and localization phenomenon of damage evolution is obvious. Comparison of failure route of upper and bottom joints of the truss shows different deterioration process.