A numerical approach is proposed in this paper for safety assessment of mechanical
structures with age-related degradation. Deterioration occurs in mechanical
structures due to various environmental attacks and operation conditions which leads
to changes in structural performance and structural resistance capacity.
By combining techniques such as degradation evaluation methods, damage
mechanics, and the finite element method, the proposed numerical method
can be used to analyse the responses and damages of mechanical structures
with age-related degradation. Ageing degradation effects can be taken into
account by introducing degradation factor into formulations of finite element
method and damage mechanics. The numerical results for a notched bar and a
plate with a central hole are provided to validate the proposed numerical
method.
