Using Damage Tags in AFGROW
In AFGROW version 5.3.4.23 we have added the ability to track the amount of crack growth resulting from each sub-spectrum as well as individual spectrum levels. Damage tags are used in AFGROW to determine how much a specific level within a spectrum contributes to the total amount of predicted crack growth. Damage tags are labels that can be assigned to spectrum levels using Spectrum Manager.
To add damage tags to a spectrum within spectrum manager, first open a spectrum file. Then, select the options button within the application menu. Within the options menu, check the ‘Damage Tags’ Option, and then close the menu. The location of the options menu is show in Figure 1.
After the spectrum file has been opened, select the sub-spectrum that will be assigned damage tags. There should be a column labeled Damage Tags, and you can add a tag to any level within the sub-spectrum. An example input is shown in Figure 2.
Make sure to save the spectrum file as a .spx file, or damage tags will not be used.
Now the spectrum with damage tags for user specified levels can be opened with AFGROW. After running a prediction, a short summary (By Source) will list the percentage of crack growth damage resulting from both non-tagged and tagged spectrum levels. In addition, a damage summary (By Sub Spectra) is displayed within the Output window. These summaries are shown in Figure 3.
AFGROW and Spectrum Manager are available for download to anyone with a current AFGROW license at: https://afgrow.net/userarea/default.aspx (require registration)