Issue 33

Y. Hos et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 33 (2015) 42-55; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.33.06 42 Focussed on characterization of crack tip fields Measurement and simulation of strain fields around crack tips under mixed-mode fatigue loading Y. Hos, M. Vormwald Technische Universität Darmstadt, Materials Mechanics Group, Franziska-Braun-Str. 3, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany vormwald@wm.tu-darmstadt.de J.L.F. Freire Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC, Rio Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225, Gávea - Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil A BSTRACT . For various configurations examined in a series of fatigue experiments on thin-walled tubes under tension and torsion, the experimental results – crack path, crack growth life, near crack tip deformations, and crack closure – are measured and compared to the results of some numerical simulations. Partially automated optical inspection and the digital image correlation technique were used in the experimental investigation. In the finite element analyses, an actual geometry of a cracked structure has been modeled. The mechanical material behavior has been assumed as linear elastic in a first approach for calculating stress intensity factors. The non- linear nature of the cyclic deformation has been taken into account by applying a cyclic plasticity model, and plasticity-induced crack closure is captured by a contact formulation. K EYWORDS . Multiaxial fatigue; Mixed mode; Fatigue crack growth; Digital image correlation. I NTRODUCTION he fatigue crack growth under non-proportional mixed-mode loading at the crack tip depends on many influence factors, mainly on the mode-mixity. Increasing mode-mixity creates a tendency for a shear dominated crack growth instead of a tensile stress dominated one, the latter being the usual case. With increasing cyclic plastic deformation the shear dominated fatigue crack growth becomes more important. The cyclic plastic deformation is also the origin of the plasticity induced crack closure. Especially in non-proportional cases, the roughness and friction induced crack closure occurs and interacts with the plasticity induced crack closure. These influence factors are closely interrelated, therefore a study of individual factors is hard to achieve. Originating from information gathered from a literature overview [1], a research project was launched, seeking further knowledge on the mechanisms. Results achieved so far are the subject of this paper. In order to connect the results to the state of the art, the experimental methods are first applied to cases with proportional and mode I dominated fatigue crack growth. Based on these results, ideas are presented which are intended to describe the fatigue crack growth behavior observed in the experiments. T