Abstract
This paper presents computational modeling of a crack growth path under mixed-mode loadings in linear elastic materials and investigates the influence of a hole on both fatigue crack propagation and fatigue life when subjected to constant amplitude loading conditions. Though the crack propagation is inevitable, the simulation specified the crack propagation path such that the critical structure domain was not exceeded. ANSYS Mechanical APDL 19.2 was introduced with the aid of a new feature in ANSYS: Smart Crack growth technology. It predicts the propagation direction and subsequent fatigue life for structural components using the extended finite element method (XFEM). The Paris law model was used to evaluate the mixed-mode fatigue life for both a modified four-point bending beam and a cracked plate with three holes under the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) assumption. Precise estimates of the stress intensity factors (SIFs), the trajectory of crack growth, and the fatigue life by an incremental crack propagation analysis were recorded. The findings of this analysis are confirmed in published works in terms of crack propagation trajectories under mixed-mode loading conditions.
Highlights
In various applications, such as aerospace manufacturing and the aviation industry, experimental studies are necessary for fatigue analysis, but, because of high costs, precise computational methods are required for crack propagation analysis to predict the direction of crack growth and fatigue lifetime in both static and dynamic loading conditions [2]
The pre-meshed crack method requires a crack front employed by the Smart Crack growth analysis tool, whereby the stress intensity factor is the criterion of failure
The crack path growth simulated with ANSYS software was compared, and had strong agreement, with both experimental and numerical results from ABAQUS software obtained by [28] as well as with numerical results performed by [29] using XFEM with a controllable
Summary
Cracks tend to initiate and propagate when subjected to fluctuating loads until a point when the structure does not bear the load that contributes to complete failure These cracks are considered fatigue cracks and the expected life is one of the major parameters to determine the safety of the structure. The main motivation for this work was to make a significant contribution to the use of ANSYS as an alternative tool for simulating fatigue crack propagation problems during mixed-mode loading and to monitor the trajectory of crack growth in cases of the presence of holes in the geometry
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