PREDICTION OF THE FATIGUE LIMIT OF CRACKED SPECIMENS BASED ON THE CYCLIC R-CURVE METHOD

Abstract— The propagation behaviour of fatigue cracks emanating from pre-cracks was numerically simulated to evaluate the development of crack closure with crack growth. The crack opening stress intensity factor at the threshold was approximated as a function of the applied stress and the amount of crack extension. Pre-cracked specimens of a medium-carbon steel with a small surface crack and a single-edge crack were fatigued to investigate experimentally the initiation and propagation of cracks from pre-cracks. Crack closure was dynamically measured by using an interferometric strain/displacement gauge. The threshold condition of crack initiation from pre-cracks was given by a constant value of the effective stress intensity range which was equal to the threshold value for long cracks. The cyclic R -curve was constructed in terms of the threshold value of the maximum stress intensity factor as a function of crack extension approximated on the basis of the experimental and numerical results. The cyclic R -curve method was used to predict the fatigue thresholds of pre-cracked specimens. The predicted values of the fatigue limits for crack initiation and fracture, and the length of non-propagating cracks agreed very well with the experimental results.     

Analysis of Asymmetric Kinked Cracks of Arbitrary Size, Location and Orientation – Part I. Remote Compression

In this paper, the stress intensity factors of interacting kinked cracks in an elastic solid under remote compression and the overall strains of the solid are determined numerically. The kinked cracks are in general asymmetric, unequal, and arbitrarily oriented and located. Each kinked crack consists of a closed frictional main crack, and traction free kinks modeled by continuous dislocation distributions. The original problem is decomposed into straight crack problems such that the main cracks are subjected to dislocation and shear traction loadings. The model is used to investigate the dependence of the stress intensity factors and the overall strains on the crack configuration, i.e., a single fault of cracks, parallel faults, crossed faults, periodic and random crack arrays, and on the geometrical and physical parameters such as the fault angle and the lateral confinement. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An accurate method for solving crack problems with discontinuous crack-line tractions

A numerical method for the integration of the singular integral equation resulting from a surface crack with discontinuous tractions is presented. The crack is modelled as a pile-up of dislocations, and the dislocation density function is partitioned into three terms: A singular term due to the traction discontinuity, a square-root-singular term from the crack tip, and a bounded and continuous residual term. By integrating the singular terms explicitly only a well-behaved residual dislocation density function has to be determined numerically, together with the intensity of the square-root-singular term. The method is applied to the determination of stress intensity factors for a surface crack growing towards, and through, a circular inclusion, and to a surface crack growing into a zone of phase-transformable material.     

Noise-robust stress intensity factor determination from kinematic field measurements

Stress intensity factors are often estimated numerically from a given displacement field through an interaction integral formalism. The latter method makes use of a weight, the virtual crack extension field, which is under-constrained by first principles. Requiring a least noise sensitivity allows one to compute the optimal virtual crack extension. Mode I and mode II specialized fields are obtained and particularized for a given displacement functional basis. The method is applied to an experimental case study of a crack in a silicon carbide sample, whose displacement field is obtained by a digital image correlation technique. The optimization leads to a very significant uncertainty reduction up to a factor 100 of the non-optimized formulation. The proposed scheme reveals additional performances with respect to the integral domain choice and assumed crack tip geometry, which are shown to have a reduced influence.     

An analytical method for mixed-mode propagation of pressurized fractures in remotely compressed rocks

An analytical method for mixed-mode (mode I and mode II) propagation of pressurized fractures in remotely compressed rocks is presented in this paper. Stress intensity factors for such fractured rocks subjected to two-dimensional stress system are formulated approximately. A sequential crack tip propagation algorithm is developed in conjunction with the maximum tensile stress criterion for crack extension. For updating stress intensity factors during crack tip propagation, a dynamic fictitious fracture plane is used. Based on the displacement correlation technique, which is usually used in boundary element/finite element analyses, for computing stress intensity factors in terms of nodal displacements, further simplification in the estimation of crack opening and sliding displacements is suggested. The proposed method is verified comparing results (stress intensity factors, propagation paths and crack opening and sliding displacements) with that obtained from a boundary element based program and available in literatures. Results are found in good agreements for all the verification examples, while the proposed method requires a trivial computing time.     

Analysis of crack interactions at adjacent holes and onset of multi-site fatigue damage in aging airframes

Focusing on the geometry of one hot spot in airframes, this paper discusses the onset of the interaction of two collinear cracks at adjacent holes and defines the onset as a criterion for multi-site fatigue damage failure. The finite element method is used to calculate the stress intensity factors at the tips of two collinear cracks at adjacent holes growing towards each other. The stress intensity factor is found to increase rapidly at the onset of interaction. Since a rapid increase in stress intensity factor results in a rapid and unstable growth of the crack, the onset of the interaction is proposed as the point where the multi-site fatigue damage starts. A criterion to avoid multi-site fatigue damage locally is then established based on the separation distance of two crack tips at the onset of the interaction. To speed up the simulation of crack growth under multi-site fatigue damage with the finite element method, a semi-empirical criterion is derived to determine the time at which the stress intensity factors at the tips of the cracks correlate. The numerical examples show that the proposed criterion saves simulation time while incurring negligible relative error in the computation of the final crack length.     

ESTIMATION OF TORSIONAL FATIGUE STRENGTH OF MEDIUM CARBON STEEL BARS WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK BY THE CYCLIC RESISTANCE-CURVE METHOD

Near-threshold fatigue crack propagation tests were performed on circumferentially precracked round bars of a medium carbon steel under torsional loading. The crack propagation rate decreased with crack extension, because of the shear contact of crack faces. The crack propagation rate without the influence of crack-surface contact was determined by extrapolating to zero crack extension the relationship between the crack propagation rate and crack extension. The applied stress intensity factor range was divided into two parts: one was the effective value responsible for crack growth and the other was the value corresponding to crack-tip shielding. The resistance-curve method was used to predict the fatigue limit for crack initiation and fracture. The R -curve was constructed using the experimentally determined threshold value of the stress intensity range, which was the sum of the threshold effective stress intensity range and the threshold shielding stress intensity range. The threshold effective stress intensity range was constant. The R -curve was independent of the precrack length and specimen dimensions. The predicted values agreed well with the experimental results.     

椭圆形截面管环向裂纹应力强度因子分析方法

应力强度因子是断裂力学中一个重要的参量。基于虚功原理和弯曲理论,利用裂纹非自发扩展的能量释放率,即G*-积分理论分析求解了椭圆形截面管环向裂纹应力强度因子问题,给出了椭圆形截面管裂纹张开能量释放率的G*-积分表征,得出不同载荷作用下椭圆形截面管环向裂纹应力强度因子的具体表达式。通过将其结果与有限元分析所得结果的比较,表明该方法最大的特点是能够给出封闭解,且计算简单。     

On the calculation of derivatives of stress intensity factors for multiple cracks

In this paper, the work of Lin and Abel [Lin SC, Abel JF. Variational approach for a new direct-integration form of the virtual crack extension method. Int J Fract 1988;38:217-35] is further extended to the general case of multiple crack systems under mixed-mode loading. Analytical expressions are presented for stress intensity factors and their derivatives for a multiply cracked body using the mode decomposition technique. The salient feature of this method is that the stress intensity factors and their derivatives for the multiple crack system are computed in a single analysis. It is shown through two-dimensional numerical examples that the proposed method gives very accurate results for the stress intensity factors and their derivatives. It is also shown that the variation of mode I and II displacements at one crack-tip influence the mode I and II stress intensity factors at any other crack. The computed errors were about 0.4-3% for stress intensity factors, and 2-4% for their first order derivatives for the mesh density used in the examples.     

Interaction between a surface crack and a subsurface inclusion

A numerical method for the integration of the singular integral equation resulting from the interaction of a surface crack with a subsurface inclusion is presented. The crack is modelled as a pile-up of dislocations, and the dislocation density function is partitioned into three parts: A singular term due to the load discontinuity imposed by the inclusion, a square root singular term from the crack tip, and a bounded and continuous residual term. By integrating the singular terms explicitly the well behaved residual dislocation density function only has to be determined numerically, together with the intensity of the square root singular term. The method is applied to the determination of the stress intensity factor for a surface crack growing towards and through a circular inclusion whose diameter is equal to the distance from the free surface, and to the determination of the characteristic stress intensity factors when the crack enters the inclusion and leaves it for arbitrary ratios between the inclusion diameter and the distance from the surface.     

Exact solutions of two semi-infinite collinear cracks in a strip

The stress intensity factors (SIFs) are calculated for an infinitely long strip of finite height containing two straight semi-infinite collinear cracks, which is a very useful model in simulating the interaction of faults in the study of tectonic earthquake. The new solutions are obtained by complex function method. It is shown that two well-known exact solutions for the crack problems are the limiting cases of the present results.     

Crack growth in ferroelectric ceramics under electric loading

Summary A crack with growth in ferroelectric ceramics under purely electric loading is analyzed. The crack tip stress intensity factor for the growing crack under small scale conditions is evaluated by employing the model of nonlinear domain switching. The electrical fracture toughness is obtained from the result of the stress intensity factor. It is shown that the ferroelectric material can be either toughened or weakened as the crack grows. Fatigue crack growth in a ferroelectric material under cyclic electric loading is also examined. The incremental fatigue crack growth under cyclic electric loading is obtained numerically. The fatigue crack growth rate is affected strongly by the electrical nonlinear behavior. It is found that the curve of fatigue crack growth rate versus electric field intensity factor is linear on the log-log plot at intermediate values of the electric field intensity factor.     

方形截面管横向裂纹的应力强度因子KI

利用裂纹张开能量释放率建立了一个求解方形截面管横向裂纹应力强度因子的一个方法。给出了方形截面管裂纹张开能量释放率的 G*-积分表征,以及和应力强度因子的关系。同时也给出了 G*-积分与载荷、几何参量以及机械性能参数的关系,进而得到方形截面管横向裂纹的应力强度因子。给出的方法不仅适用于一般箱形结构件的裂纹问题,也适用于其它有限边界多边管状结构的三维裂纹问题,过程极为简单。     

Simulation of microfracture process of brittle polycrystals: Microcracking and crack propagation

Microcracking and crack propagation behavior are simulated for 2-dimensional alumina polycrystals which have thermal anisotropy within a grain. Microcracks are generated by thermally induced residual stresses at the grain boundary. Stress redistribution due to microcracking and stress intensity factors at the microcrack tip are obtained numerically by the body force method. The location at which microfracture occurs is determined by a competition between microcracking and crack propagation under external stresses. The microfracture stress increases with the progress of fracture and decreases after the maximum indicating a fracture strength. In many cases, the extension of microcracks induces an unstable fracture. With both increasing grain size and decreasing grain boundary toughness, the number of microcracks prior to the unstable state increases and the stress concentration due to the microcracks plays a significant role in the stable crack extension, resulting in lower strengths than the fracture-mechanical predictions.     

An Elliptical Crack in an Anisotropic Elasic Medium Subjected to a Constant External Field

An isolated elliptical crack in an infinite orthotropic elastic medium is considered. An efficient numerical algorithm of the solution of the problem for a crack subjected to a constant external field is proposed. The calculation of the crack opening vector and the stress intensity factors on the crack edge is reduced to regular 2D-integrals. These integrals may be simply calculated numerically for an arbitrary orientation of the crack plane with respect to the principal axes of the anisotropy of the medium. Examples of the calculation of the crack opening vector and stress intensity factors are presented.     

Stress intensity factors for cracked triangular cross‐section thin‐walled tubes

For one kind of finite‐boundary crack problems, the cracked equilateral triangular cross‐section tube, an analytical and very simple method to determine the stress intensity factors has been proposed based on a new concept of crack surface widening energy release rate and the principle of virtual work. Different from the classical crack extension energy release rate, the crack surface widening energy release rate can be defined by the G*‐integral theory and expressed by stress intensity factors. This energy release rate can also be defined easily by the elementary strength theory for slender structures and expressed by axial strains and loads. These two forms of crack surface widening energy release rate constitute the basis of a new analysis method for cracked tubes. From present discussions, a series of stress intensity factors are derived for cracked equilateral triangular cross‐section tubes. Actually, the present method can also be applied to cracked polygonal tubes.     

Analysis of surface cracks using the line-spring boundary element method and the virtual crack extension technique

The authors have developed a new line-spring boundary element method which couples the line-spring model with the boundary element method to deal with the problem of a surface cracked plate. However, the drawback of the line-spring model is that a reliable stress intensity factor could not be directly obtained near the free surface intersection. Therefore, the virtual crack extension technique is employed in a post-processor of the line-spring boundary element method to obtain the stress intensity factor at the crack front-free surface intersection. Theoretical analysis is described. Stress intensity factors for surface cracks are calculated to verify the proposed method. The interaction of two surface cracks is also investigated. The solutions obtained by the line-spring boundary element method show that the method proposed is efficient and reasonably accurate.     

Morphological aspects of fatigue crack propagation Part I—Computational procedure

In the present paper a simulation method is proposed for the evaluation of paths and lives of fatigue cracks. The simulation is based on an incremental crack extension procedure. At each increment the stress analysis ahead of a crack tip is carried out by the finite element method, and the next incremental crack-growth path is predicted by the first order perturbation method with the use of the local symmetry criterion. From the computational viewpoint, the step-by-step rezoning of finite element mesh subdivision is one of the most difficult processes of the simulation procedure. In order to overcome this difficulty, we shall use the modified quadtree method as an automatic mesh generation technique. Considerations are made for the proper mesh arrangement in the vicinity of a crack tip, where a special fine mesh pattern is embedded so that mixed mode stress intensity factors and the higher order coefficients of the near tip stress field parameters can accurately be obtained. Using the proposed method, we simulate the branched and curved fatigue crack growth in three-point-bending specimens. They show fairly good agreement with the experimental results. The simulation procedure is also applied to biaxially loaded cruciform joints.     

Quasi-static and dynamic fracture of graphite/epoxy composites: An optical study of loading-rate effects

Strain-rate effects on fracture behavior of unidirectional composite materials are studied. Single-edge notched multi-layered unidirectional graphite composites (T800/3900-2) are investigated to examine fracture responses under static and dynamic loading conditions using a digital speckle correlation method. The fracture parameters for growing cracks are extracted as a function of fiber orientation. A 2D digital image correlation (DIC) method is used to obtain time-resolved full-field in-plane surface displacements when specimens are subjected to quasi-static and impact loading. Stress intensity factor and crack extension histories for pure mode-I and mixed mode cases are extracted from the full-field displacements. When compared to the dynamic stress intensity factors at crack initiation, the static values are found to be consistently lower. The stress intensity factor histories exhibit a monotonic reduction under dynamic loading conditions whereas an increasing trend is seen after crack initiation under quasi-static loading cases. This is potentially due to dominant crack face fiber bridging effects in the latter cases.