Assessment of the interaction between two collinear cracks in plates of arbitrary thickness using a plasticity‐induced crack closure model. Issue 11 (15th July 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chang, D.
• Other Names: Kotousov A. guestEditor.; Lazzarin P. guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Fatigue & fracture of engineering materials & structures. Volume 36:Issue 11(2013:Nov.)
• Page Start: 1113
• Page End: 1122
• Publication Date: 2013-07-15
• Subjects: collinear cracks -- crack interaction -- crack opening -- plasticity‐induced crack closure -- plate thickness effect -- strip yield model; Materials -- Fatigue -- Periodicals; Fracture mechanics -- Periodicals; 620.1123
• DOI: 10.1111/ffe.12080
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 8756-758X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Fracture and fatigue assessment of structures weakened by multiple site damage, such as two or more interacting cracks, is currently a very challenging problem. The main objective of this paper is to develop a mathematical model and an approach to investigate fatigue crack closure behaviour of two through‐the‐thickness collinear cracks of equal length in a plate of arbitrary thickness under remote tensile cyclic loading. The developed mathematical model of the problem under consideration is based on the Dugdale strip yield model and plasticity‐induced crack closure concept. The approach utilises the fundamental solution for an edge dislocation in a plate of finite thickness and the distributed dislocation technique to obtain an effective and accurate solution to the system of governing equations. The obtained results show a very good agreement with the previously published analytical solutions for limiting cases. In particular, the new results confirm that the crack closure behaviour and the opening stress variation in the case of two collinear cracks are significantly dependent on the separation gap between two cracks as well as the plate thickness.