Fatigue design optimization of safety components made of SMC

Based on data from experimental investigations with flat specimens made of sheet Moulding Compound (SMC), the influences of different fibre orientations and fibre weight contents on the fatigue strength behaviour of this long-fibre reinforced thermosetting material were studied. SMC is a material with a high damage tolerance. Prior to the manufacture of a component and the experimental test, numerical structural durability tests based on material data allow the estimation of the service life and the identification of the critical areas of the design. In this study, the experimental results of fatigue cycle tests, a concept for fatigue design optimization and estimation of the service life for cyclically loaded components will be shown. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of ICM11