Search

The link between microscopic mechanisms and macroscopic behaviour, represented by the $da/dN-\Delta K$ curve, plays an increasingly important role in relating the fatigue crack growth curve required for component design to the underlying physics. High-resolution digital image correlation (HR-DIC) allows for in-depth analysis of microscopic fatigue crack growth mechanisms, but is rarely used to determine the SIF of the crack tip. This paper examines the applicability of the interaction integral in HR-DIC data and identifies factors that should be considered when evaluating the integral results. A major influence is the integration near the PZ, which leads to an erroneous increase in the calculated SIF result. In addition, the large integration path gaps required in HR-DIC around the crack path significantly hinder accurate results. The effect of the crack face contact is overall small. While it slightly increases the SIF result, it does not correlate with the crack opening load $K_\mathrm{op}$.

Fatigue crack growth in ductile materials is primarily driven by the interaction between damaging and shielding mechanisms. In the Paris regime, the predominant mechanism for retardation is plasticity-induced crack closure (PICC). However, some of the mechanisms behind this phenomenon are still unclear. Identifying and separating the three-dimensional aspect from other shielding aspects during experiments is extremely complex. In this paper, we analyze the crack opening kinematics based on local crack opening displacement measurements in both 2D high-resolution digital image correlation data and 3D finite element simulations. The results confirm that the crack opening stress intensity factor Kop differs along the crack path. We present a new method to determine Kop at the crack front allowing us to identify PICC as the predominant shielding mechanism in fatigue crack growth experiments. Furthermore, this work contributes to the discussion on the damage-reducing effect of PICC, since we find that the influence on fatigue damage in the plastic zone remains negligible when the crack is closed and crack surface contact is directed towards the surface.

Fatigue crack growth is usually a three-dimensional problem, but it is often simplified to two dimensions to reduce complexity. However, this study investigates the relationships between microscopic effects such as crack kinking, shear lips, and plasticity that are present in reality. Therefore, crack propagation tests were carried out on 2-mm-thick MT-160 specimens of AA2024-T3 sheet material in L-T and T-L orientation. Using high-resolution digital image correlation (DIC), the plastic zone was identified and measured on the samples surface. The fracture surfaces were then digitized and their 3D shape characterized. Finite element simulations confirm the presence of a local mixed-mode I/II/III state along the crack front for a slant or double shear-fracture type. A derived mapping function enables the determination of the fracture type from the surface plastic zone, along with the current crack tip loading during the test. Finally, a transition of the fracture type also leads to a short-term delay in the crack propagation rate. Based on this information crack propagation curves are computed with regards to the local 3D crack orientation., Comment: 16 pages, 20 figures

Digital image correlation is a widely used technique in the field of experimental mechanics. In fracture mechanics, determining the precise location of the crack tip is crucial. In this paper, we introduce a universal crack tip detection algorithm based on displacement and strain fields obtained by digital image correlation. Iterative crack tip correction formulas are discovered by applying deep symbolic regression guided by physical unit constraints to a dataset of simulated cracks under mode I, II and mixed-mode conditions with variable T-stress. For the training dataset, we fit the Williams series expansion with super-singular terms to the simulated displacement fields at randomly chosen origins around the actual crack tip. We analyse the discovered formulas and apply the most promising one to digital image correlation data obtained from uniaxial and biaxial fatigue crack growth experiments of AA2024-T3 sheet material. Throughout the experiments, the crack tip positions are reliably detected leading to improved stability of the crack propagation curves.

Fatigue crack growth is decisive for the design of thin-walled structures such as fuselage shells of air planes. The cold rolling process, used to produce the aluminium sheets this structure is made of, leads to anisotropic mechanical properties. In this contribution, we simulate the fatigue crack growth with a phase-field model due to its superior ability to model arbitrary crack paths. A fatigue variable based on the Local Strain Approach describes the progressive weakening of the crack resistance. Anisotropy regarding the fracture toughness is included through a structural tensor in the crack surface density. The model is parameterised for an aluminium AA2024-T351 sheet material. Validation with a set of experiments shows that the fitted model can reproduce key characteristics of a growing fatigue crack, including crack path direction and growth rate, considering the rolling direction.