Residual stresses in rolled plates, used as raw material for the fabrication of aircraft components, arise from manufacturing processes such as rolling, casting, quenching, stretching, and thermal treatments. After each process, the rolled plate has a geometrically stable condition but with internal stresses. However, during part machining an unbalance in the distribution of residual stresses occurs, in special for aircraft components, due to the large amount of material removal throughout the process. This condition of instability leads to component distortions so that any corrective action affects the manufacturing lead-time and production costs. Part distortions are usually predicted by finite element analyses with linear tetrahedral meshes in which the residual stress profiles are applied as a constant value element-wise. In this work, both linear and quadratic solid meshes are employed to address this problem. For this purpose, a Python-based routine is implemented to apply the residual stress profile at the integration points of the elements. Then, finite element simulations of simple geometric configurations (plates and beams) under theoretical and real residual stress distributions are carried out. Performance and effectiveness of two different meshes—tetrahedral and hexahedral (brick-type)—are checked through comparison with results presented by classical plate and beam theories. A general good correlation for the deflections predicted by them is reached.

Fatigue is widely recognized as one of the primary failure mechanisms affecting metallic structures. Consequently, reliable prediction of fatigue-induced failure is essential for the safe design and lifetime prediction of engineering structures and components. In this context, the present work provides an overview of some of the main approaches employed for fatigue modelling in metals. First, the classical total-life methods, namely the stress–life and strain–life approaches, are reviewed. Subsequently, fracture-based approaches to fatigue are presented, including formulations grounded in fracture mechanics, continuum damage mechanics, and phase-field theory. The finite element method and the extended finite element method are also discussed as representative numerical frameworks for the implementation of these formulations. The reviewed approaches are then critically compared, and their main characteristics are summarized in a comparative table. Finally, the principal features of the presented approaches are highlighted.