Fatigue and Fracture

Mechanics
Stress analysis of members with
cracks
 Example
Consider a through thickness
crack in a wide plate, design stress and
fracture toughness are:
(a) 138MPa, KIC = 132 MPam
(b) 310MPa, KIC = 66 MPam;

K I   a
what is the tolerable flaw size?

If residual stresses due to

welding present so that the total
stress is 552MPa at the crack,
what is the tolerable flaw size?
Stress Analysis of Members with Notches
Types of Discontinuities

Notches

Imperfections Sharp tip

Cracks
 Stress Analysis of Members with Notches
Stress Concentration Factor :KT
KT for an elliptical hole given in the design tables

Therefore, KT  

In this case the use of the use of stress concentration approach

becomes meaningless
Stress Analysis of Members with Notches
Stress Concentration Factor :KT KT   : meaningless

Different Approach is needed to analyze the behavior of

structures containing cracks or sharp imperfections
The beginning of Fracture Mechanics

1921 Griffith
Griffith’s Formula

1948 Irwin

1957 Irwin
Stress Intensity Factor, K
…..
 Griffith Theory
Consider a plate containing a through-thickness crack of
length 2a and that is subjected to uniform tensile stress σ
The total potential energy of the system, U is written as

elastic energy of the uncracked plate

constant
crack extension is governed by the
crack length and the material property
 Modification of Griffith Theory
Suggested by Irwin in 1948

It recognize that the material's resistance to crack extension is

equal to the sum of the elastic-surface energy and the elastic
strain work, p, accompanying crack extension

G is the energy release rate

because a represents the intensity, KI, of the stress field at

the tip of a through-thickness crack of length 2a, the following
relation exists between G and KI for plane-strain conditions,
 Stress Analysis for Cracks in
Elastic Solids
Three Types of Relative Movements of Two Crack Surfaces

MODE I : Opening Mode

MODE II : Sliding/Shear Mode

MODE III : Tearing Mode

 Important Basic Mode I
Most engineering situations corresponding to Mode I
 Stress Intensity Factor
The Applied Stress
The Crack Shape and Size
The Structural Configuration

affect

The Value of The Stress Intensity Factor, KI

K I  f   a
f is the correction factor

Local Stress Field Global Stress Field

Stress Intensity Factor Equations (1)
A Through Thickness Crack In a Plate with infinite
width Subjected to uniform tensile stress
Stress Intensity Factor Equations (2)
A Through Thickness Crack In a Plate with Finite
Width Subjected to Uniform Tensile Stress
Stress Intensity Factor Equations (3)
Double-Edge Cracks in a plate with finite width


K   a 1.12
Original form:
a a

2b


Stress Intensity Factor Equations (4)
Single-Edge Crack in a plate with finite width
 a
K  1.12   a  k  
b
Correction factors for a single edge notch

2b


Stress Intensity Factor Equations (5)
Cracks growing from around a hole
a
K  f     a
r
Stress Intensity Factor Equations (6)
Embedded Elliptical or Circular Crack in Infinite Plate

Q is a flaw-shape parameter that

depends on /Y and a/2c, as shown
in the curves in the next slide
K is maximum at  = /2

Exact expression for circular crack

Flow shape parameter Q
Stress Intensity Factor Equations (7)
A Surface crack or a circular crack in an Infinite Plate

a/t > 0.5

Values of Q are obtained in the

curves of the last slide
Stress Intensity Factor Equations (8)
Single Crack in Beam in Bending

Stress-intensity-factor Coefficients for Notched Beams

 Stress Intensity Factor Equations (9)
Holes or Cracks Subjected to Point or Pressure Loading

e.g. force of a bolt

P
K
a K  1.12  p a

For the effect of a very high pressure in a

Where P = force/thickness of plate thick-walled pressure vessel with an
internal surface crack, K is given as:
a
K  1.12  p
Q
Stress Intensity Factor Equations…
More equations are given in the textbook and some
more will be provided as needed.
Superposition of stress intensity factors

• Components that contain cracks may be

subjected to one or more different types of Mode
I loads such as uniform tensile loads,
concentrated tensile loads, or bending loads.
• The stress-field distributions in the vicinity of the
crack tip subjected to these loads are identical
• Consequently, the total stress-intensity factor
can be obtained by algebraically adding the
stress-intensity factors that correspond to each
load.
Superposition of stress intensity factors
Example1: a plate with an edge crack subjected to tension plus
bending loads

The combined stress intensity factor for that case is:

Superposition of stress intensity factors
Example2: a thin-walled pressure vessel subjected to a hoop
stress, HOOP, and the crack surface subjected to the internal
pressure, p

The combined stress intensity factor for that case is:

A plate loaded in
tension at one
end and this
force being
withstood by a
bolt force P. The
solution, KI, is a
superposition of
KI solutions for a
through-
thickness crack
and a crack
subjected to
point loads.
 Example
• A long 25-mm thick steel plate loaded in
tension is 200 mm wide and has an edge
crack 50 mm deep. If the steel has yield
strength of 420 MPa and a KIC value of
220 MPam., what load can the plate
withstand before failure? What is the mode
of failure? Explain your answer.