Abstract
This paper considers the applicability of virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) for calculation of stress intensity factor range for crack propagation in standard metal specimen geometries with sharp through thickness cracks. To determine crack propagation rate and fatigue lifetime of a dynamically loaded metallic specimen, in addition to VCCT, standard Forman model was used. Values of stress intensity factor (SIF) ranges ΔK for various crack lengths were calculated by VCCT and used in conjunction with material parameters available from several research papers. VCCT was chosen as a method of choice for the calculation of stress intensity factor of a crack as it is simple and relatively straightforward to implement. It is relatively easy for implementation on top of any finite element (FE) code and it does not require the use of any special finite elements. It is usually utilized for fracture analysis of brittle materials when plastic dissipation is negligible, i.e., plastic dissipation belongs to small-scale yielding due to low load on a structural element. Obtained results showed that the application of VCCT yields good results. Results for crack propagation rate and total lifetime for three test cases were compared to available experimental data and showed satisfactory correlation.
Highlights
One of the main tasks of advanced structural analysis is the consideration of the crack occurrence in structure [1], as well as structure lifetime estimation due to fatigue
For test cases 1 and 2, calculated crack propagation rate was evaluated in comparison to experimental data available from the works of Mohanty, Verma, and Ray [27] and Skorupa and Skorupa [29]
The numerical procedure for calculating crack propagation was presented and results obtained with the use of the presented procedure was analyzed
Summary
One of the main tasks of advanced structural analysis is the consideration of the crack occurrence in structure [1], as well as structure lifetime estimation due to fatigue. Crack propagation in metallic specimens containing sharp through thickness crack was analyzed using material parameters available in the literature, SIF range and Forman model in conjunction with the Barsom equation for crack propagation threshold [15]. VCCT was chosen since it can be implemented on top of any basic finite element (FE) code as it is a relatively simple FE post-processing method that does not require any special finite element types to determine the value of stress intensity factor at the crack tip.
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