Finite element analysis on the effect of flaw shape and microstructure on stress field of cracks initiated from small flaws

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of flaw shape and microstructure on stress field of cracks initiated from small flaws. First, we investigated the effect of flaw shape on stress field of cracks initiated from small flaws using the previous data. Secondly, to investigate the effect of microstructure on stress field of cracks initiated from small flaws, the finite element analysis was conducted using the polycrystalline model. In this study, a single-phase ferrite steel was employed as the polycrystalline model. It is found that the increase of local stress due to the grain anisotropy is less than 10% in the single-phase ferrite model. Moreover, it is suggested that the effect of the microstructure on stress field of cracks was relatively small in the case of the single-phase ferrite model.