Three-Dimensional Elastic-Plastic Finite Element Analysis of Biaxially Loaded Cracked Plates

Abstract

Based on detailed two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) finite element (FE)analyses, this paper attempts to quantify in-plane and out-of-plane constraint effects on elastic-plastic J and cracked tip stresses for biaxially loaded plate with a through-thickness crack and semi-elliptical surface crack. It is found that the reference stress based approach for uniaxial loading can be applied to estimate J under biaxial loading, provided that the limit load specific to biaxial loading is used, implying that quantification of the biaxiality effect on the limit load is important. Investigation on the effect of biaxiality on the limit load suggests that for relatively thin plates with small cracks, in particular with semi-elliptical surface cracks, the effect of biaxiality on the limit load can be neglected, and thus elastic-plastic J for a biaxially loaded plate could be estimated, assuming that such plate is subject to uniaxial load. Regarding the effect of biaxiality on crack tip stress triaxiality, it is found that such effect is more pronounced for a thicker plate. For plates with semi-elliptical surface cracks, the crack aspect ratio is found to be more important than the relative crack depth, and the effect of biaxiality on crack tip stress triaxiality is found to be more pronounced near the surface points along the crack front.