Elastic-Plastic Fracture Assessment for the Cracks Emanating from a Circular Hole under a Biaxial Loading Condition

Abstract

In this study, elastic-plastic stress and strain fields were analyzed on hole-edge cracks in an aluminum alloy plate under the biaxial load. And the effects of the load parallel to the crack face on failure parameters were discussed. By quantifying the effects of the crack size and the loading mode on the crack propagation driving force, J integral, and the plastic limit load, the corresponding failure assessment curves of the hole-edge cracked plate were established with the new R6 failure assessment diagram (FAD) method. The result shows that the transverse load has a larger effect on the failure assessment curve than crack length does, the safety zone of the failure assessment diagram gradually becomes smaller while transverse loading stress changes from tensile condition to compressed. Especially, when the transverse load acts as pressure, the Option 3 failure assessment diagram results to a smaller safety zone than the Option 1 failure assessment diagram does.