PROPAGATION OF FATIGUE CRACKS UNDER POLYMODAL LOADING

Abstract— The influence of steady mode III on mode I fatigue growth behavior is investigated in four materials–a plain carbon steel, a Ni–Cr–Mo–V rotor steel, and titanium alloys, TA6V and TA5E ELI. It is shown that these loading conditions give rise to two main effects: (i) a strong reduction in propagation rate and (ii) a modification in crack path, the fatigue crack adopting a characteristic "factory-roof' aspect. In 2024 Al alloy, it is shown that the superimposition of steady mode II to cyclic mode I leads to crack bifurcation, the angle θ being a function of K _a/ K _tmax. These observations are discussed in the light of a new criterion which is introduced. This criterion is based on two main assumptions: (i) Fatigue cracking is assumed to occur only under the effect of local mode I opening. (ii) It is postulated that a fatigue crack grows in a direction where the crack propagation rate is maximum. A number of limitations of this approach, associated with crack closure phenomenon, are discussed.