A Probability Model for Initial Crack Size and Fatigue Life of Gun Barrels.
Abstract
With constant firing, metal fatigue produces cracks in a gun barrel. The useful life of the barrel comes to an end when a crack develops to a critical size. The theory of Fracture Mechanics suggests a formula for crack size growth rate. This formula can be used to determine the life of a barrel depending on the initial and critical crack sizes and other factors. The initial crack size turns out to be a dominant factor. Unfortunately, accurate measurements are not generally available on the initial crack size. In this paper, a simple probability model for the initial crack size is proposed and this, in turn, leads to a probability distribution of the life of the barrel. This last distribution is the well known exponential distribution with a location shift. The simplicity of this final result is one of the factors that make the model appealing. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA038243
Entities
People
- Frank Proschan
- Jayaram Sethuraman
Organizations
- Florida State University