Abstract
This paper reports a study of fatigue crack growth and coalescing behaviour at semi-elliptical cracks in the stress concentration region of steel plates with fillet shoulders or fillet welds. Fatigue tests were carried out on machined plate specimens with a fillet geometry similar to a fillet welded joint. These specimens were notched and precracked to provide single and multiple coplanar semi-elliptical surface cracks at the fillet toe region. Finite element stress analysis results were used to obtain approximate Mk factors (i.e.: stress concentration magnification factors) for the fillet toe geometry with a semi-elliptical surface crack. An analytical model was developed to simulate crack shape development and growth to failure in the case of multiple coplanar semi-elliptical cracks. In this model, a simple crack coalescing procedure is applied to merge coplanar cracks when they meet by recharacterising the coplanar cracks into a single semi-elliptical crack. Alternative crack growth laws were investigated and comparisons made between actual and predicted shape developments and lives.
Published Version
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