Vibration-induced crack tip flipping: A closer look at an unfamiliar phenomenon in pipeline failure analysis

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Fracture propagation control is an essential strategy to avoid a catastrophic event involving both economic losses and environmental damage. The Dynamic Tensile Tear Test (DT3) was introduced as an alternative tool to characterise dynamic fracture behaviour of high-strength pipeline steels. Mimicking the in-service loading conditions by imposing a dynamic tensile load, the obtained fracture surfaces closely resemble those observed in full-scale pipeline burst tests. A phenomenon called Crack Tip Flipping (CTF) could also be observed in combination with the formation of Arrowhead Markings (AHMs). The mechanisms provoking these phenomena and their effect on the fracture resistance of the pipeline material have not yet been investigated with respect to pipeline failure. Therefore, a high-speed stereo DIC setup was used to study the fracture behaviour of ×70 grade pipeline steel. The DIC setup identified a mechanical out-of-plane vibration that resulted in an additional torsional loading component. Numerical models were constructed with implementation of the Modified Bai-Wierzbicki (MBW) damage model to validate the experimental observations. Imposing a vibration-induced out-of-plane component resulted in a nearly identical fracture behaviour as observed during experiments. Both the crack path and the final fracture surface could be reproduced. Based on the obtained data, it is suggested that this oscillation causes a rotation of the stress tensor controlled by the through-thickness shear component. As a result, the stress state at the crack front is oriented towards the plane of maximum shear, forming a slanted fracture surface. Notably, the additional torsion load did not affect the load-displacement curve, as the value of the effective stress remains unaffected. Consequently, the fracture resistance, computed from energy values extracted from the load-displacement curve, are not influenced by the occurrence of CTF or the formation of AHMs. Conversely, based on the discussed mechanism of CTF, its presence could indicate the conditions under which pipeline failure occurred.