Couple analysis of DIC and FEM to quantify strain fields and crack-flank displacements in structural materials under cyclic mixed-mode I/II fracture

Abstract

Mixed mode cyclic fracture under multiaxial stress-strain state is critical for the generation of appropriate damage tolerance methodologies. To this end the elaborated approach is dedicated to full range of mixed mode loading for elastic-plastic plane problem. In this study, the digital image correlation (DIC) experimental results are represented as contours as well as radial strain distributions in the local system of coordinate centered at the current crack tip position along curvilinear crack path. As a complement to the DIC measurement, finite element (FE) modelling of the displacement and strain fields around the crack tip in the compact tension shear (CTS) specimen was performed in order to reproduce experimental mixed mode loading conditions. In this study, for comparison aim we used the conventional mechanism-based strain gradient (CMSG) and classical Hutchinson–Rice–Rosengren (HRR) plasticity theories to evaluate the coupled effect of the material plastic properties and the mode mixity on the crack tip behaviour. The new material model is implemented in a commercial finite element software package ANSYS 2021R1 using a user subroutine. The intention with this work was to complement the DIC measurements as well as acquire more detailed information about the local strain ahead of the crack tip and the crack opening. From a sensitivity analysis it has been established that the DIC value depends significantly from the location along the crack direction of the pair of points selected before and behind the crack tip. As a result of the FE calculations of strain distributions, the effects of both the fracture mode and the material properties are determined.