| Abstract: | In this paper, a design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method for fatigue life of 3-D solid structural components of mechanical systems with respect to shape design parameters is presented. The DSA method uses dynamic stress DSA obtained using an analytical approach to predict dynamic stress increment due to design changes; computes fatigue life of the component, including crack initiation and crack propagation, using the predicted dynamic stress; and uses the difference of the new life and the original life at the same critical point to approximate the sensitivity of fatigue life. A tracked vehicle roadarm is presented in this paper to demonstrate accuracy and efficiency of the DSA method. Also, this method is applied to support design optimization of the tracked vehicle roadarm considering crack initiation lives as design constraints. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
