| Abstract: | Cracks starting at surfaces will grow under fatigue loading conditions both along the surface and in the thickness directions of the component geometry. In those cases where the crack grows through the thickness, the fatigue crack may transition to a corresponding through crack geometry. While the fatigue crack growth behaviour of both the surface flaws and complete through cracks are well understood, the method for modelling the process by which they transition from one to the other is not. This paper seeks to bring greater clarity and understanding to the transition process by implementing a transition method and developing the associated codes and equations to do so based on careful consideration of boundary conditions, experimental data, and finite element simulations. |
