2023 Volume 2023 Pages 20230006
A numerical method to simulate fatigue crack propagation of a C(T) test specimen with cladding was developed. The method employs an XFEM using hexahedral continuum elements with only Heaviside step function, which can model planar crack independently of finite elements. In the method, the stress intensity factor for crack across dissimilar materials, are calculated without crack tip asymptotic fields, and the 3rd order Bezier curve is used to smooth the crack front geometry. Initially, to verify the stress intensity factor evaluation method used in this study, stationary crack analyses of C(T) test specimen with cladding are performed and the results are compared with those by FEM. And then, crack propagation analyses are executed by repeating XFEM analyses. The transition of the crack front geometry, and the relationship between crack length and number of load cycles are evaluated. Consequently, non-uniform crack propagation behavior can be numerically simulated.
