Fatigue Crack

Propagation
Analysis in ANSYS

© 2011 CAE Associates

Fatigue Crack Growth

 Fatigue crack formation analysis predicts cycles to failure based purely on

material data of fatigue specimens.
— Even though the total fatigue life includes the growth of cracks, cracks are not
explicitly modeled.

 Fatigue performance of structures is more accurately described as follows:

— The presence of stress risers such as holes, manufacturing errors, corrosion
pits, and maintenance damage serve as nucleation sites for fatigue cracking.
— During service, sub-critical cracks nucleate from these sites and grow until
catastrophic failure, i.e. unstable crack growth, occurs.
— From an economic point of view, a costly component cannot be retired from
service simply on detecting a fatigue crack.
— Hence, reliable estimation of fatigue crack propagation and residual life
prediction, combined with inspections, are essential so that the component can
be timely serviced or replaced.

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 Fatigue crack growth is performed by combining linear elastic fracture

mechanics and fatigue.
— In this approach, an initial crack size and location is considered, and life is
based on the growth of the crack until unstable crack growth occurs.

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 Two main approaches for modeling crack growth:

— Fatigue crack growth codes.

• Use stresses from un-cracked structure ANSYS analysis.
• Perform crack growth calculations assuming a crack geometry (library of standard
stress intensity functions) and crack growth law.

— Crack modeled directly in finite element analysis.

• Include a crack in the finite element model, and perform a series of solutions to find
the stress intensity factors as the crack grows through the model.
• Then use this data and a fatigue crack growth law to predict cycles until failure.
• Most difficult and time-consuming approach, since the path of the crack may not be
known ahead of time, changes to the mesh must be made, multiple analyses are
required, etc.

 In either case, the stresses near the crack are used to calculate the stress
intensity factor, K.

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 Determining if a crack will propagate under given loading conditions is

answered using linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM).
— The stresses near the tip of the crack tend to infinity based on the theory of
elasticity.
— By deriving the forms of these infinite stresses, the strength and order of the
singularity are found.
— The strength of the singularity, called the stress intensity factor K, is used to
determine the behavior of the crack.

KI  θ   θ   3θ 
σ xx = cos  1 − sin   sin  
2πr  2   2   2 

KI  θ   θ   3θ 
σ yy = cos  1 + sin   sin  
2πr  2   2   2 

KI  θ   θ   3θ 
σ xy = cos  sin   sin  
2πr 2 2  2 

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 K is based on the crack geometry and applied cyclic loading:

a

K I = 1.12σ πa / Q
where : Q = f (a / 2c, σ )
2c

Through thickness crack Edge crack Surface (thumbnail) crack

Dependence of flaw
shape parameter Q on
the ratio of depth to
width of surface crack.

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 There are three basic modes of

crack surface displacement:
— Mode I: Opening
— Mode II: In-plane shear.
— Mode III: Out-of-plane shear.

 Solutions for K exist for all modes,

and KI, KII and KIII can be calculated
in ANSYS, but it is typical to
assume that KI is the dominant
parameter.

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 When KI reaches some critical value, the part will fail.

 Critical value of KI, called the fracture toughness or KIC, is obtained from a
controlled test of specimens.

 Fracture toughness, KIC:

— Is an indication of the amount of stress required to propagate a pre-existing
flaw.
— Is a measured material property.
— Can vary as a function of:
• Thickness
• Temperature
• Yield stress

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 There are a number of calculated fracture mechanics parameters used to

describe or predict crack response:
— All of these parameters can be related to one another, assuming a crack in a
linear elastic isotropic single material.

— KI – Stress intensity parameter

— COD – Crack opening displacement
• Measurement of crack opening some distance from the crack tip.
— CTOD – Crack tip opening displacement
• Crack tip measurement based on plastic zone and root radius of crack.
— G – Strain energy release rate
• The rate of transfer of energy from the elastic stress field of the cracked structure to
the inelastic process of crack extension.
— J – J integral
• Path-independent line integral used to solve crack problems in the presence of
plastic deformation.

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 Fracture parameters can be determined:

— Using derived expressions for idealized crack geometries, found by selecting
the crack geometry from a library within nCode.
— By including the crack in ANSYS model and using one of the available
methods:
• Stress intensity factors directly via special crack tip elements (K).
• J-integral (J).
• Energy release rate (G).
— Assuming linear elastic single material, plane strain formulation, these
parameters are related:

J =G =
K I 1 −ν 2
2
( )
E

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 Stress intensity factors directly via special crack tip elements (K).
— Midside nodes moved to quarter point location to provide shape function with
correct order of singularity.
— Linear elastic materials only.

 J-integral (J).
— The nonlinear energy release rate, J, can be written as a path-independent line
integral.
— Calculated by defining paths around crack tip (path creation automated in
ANSYS).
— J uniquely characterizes crack tip stress and strain in nonlinear materials.

 Energy release rate (G).

— Measure of the energy available for an increment of crack extension.
— Uses the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT).
— Can use along interface between materials, i.e. delamination.
— Automated crack growth procedure coming in version 14.

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem:
— Prediction and comparison of KI of compact specimen using the following
methods:
• Hand calculation.
• ANSYS special crack tip elements.
• ANSYS J-integral method.

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem: Hand calculation.

— From fracture mechanics text, KI for a compact specimen is given as:

a  KI B W
f =
W  P
a
2+  a 
2 3 4
a W a  a a
f = 0.886 + 4.64  − 13.32  + 14.72  − 5.60  
W   W  W  W   W  
3
a 2 
1 − 
 W

B = 1 in
a = 1 in
KI = 227.7 psi-in1/2
1.25 W
W = 2 in
P = 33.3 lb

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem: ANSYS special crack tip elements.

— 2D plane strain mesh.
— KSCON command used to automatically create local crack tip mesh with
quarter-point nodes.
— Half specimen modeled using symmetry boundary conditions.

Crack tip
Crack face

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem: ANSYS special crack tip elements.

— KCALC command used with quarter-point elements to determine KI.

KI = 225.6 psi-in1/2

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem: ANSYS J-integral method.

— CINT commands used to define crack tip node and request number of
contours to use (10).
— Same model as before, but special crack tip elements are not required.
— Paths are created automatically around the crack tip, using the next available
row of elements.

Path 7 of 10

Crack face Crack tip

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem: ANSYS J-integral method.

— Printed J-integral values for 10 contours:

— Plotted J-integral values for 10 contours:

J = 0.00154 lb/in

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Numerical Methods

 Demonstration problem: ANSYS J-integral method.

— Relating J and KI for plane strain, assuming no plasticity:

J=
(
K I 1 −ν 2
2
)
E

J = 0.00154 lb/in
KI = 225.3 psi-in1/2
E = 30 x 106 psi
ν = 0.3

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Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

 The fatigue crack growth procedure:

— Obtain ∆K from crack geometry and cyclic loading definition.
• Either using library or calculating directly in ANSYS.
— Calculate the change in the length of the crack per cycle using a crack growth
law.

= C (∆K )
da n

dN

 The damage tolerant procedure:

— Inspections to determine current crack sizes and locations.
— Finite element analysis to determine stress and/or K.
— Crack growth code to determine remaining cycles to failure.
— Use life prediction to set inspection interval, at which time the procedure is
repeated.

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 There are many different crack growth laws currently used in industry.
— No single universally-accepted method exists; each has its own capabilities
and limitations.
— All use a differential equation to describe the crack growth rate (da/dN) as a
function of the stress intensity factor range at the crack tip (∆K).
— The first and most basic relationship is the Paris power law [1963], which
describes the linear region in the log-log plot below:

= C (∆K )
da n

dN

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 The crack growth module in nCode will accept the following laws:
— BasicParis - Walker
— Austen - InterpolatedRAE
— Forman - InterpolatedForman
— NASGRO3 - MarshallsSentry

 Built-in stress intensity factor library contains most common idealized

crack geometries, such as the single edge crack in tension.
— Or can supply K vs. crack length data directly from finite element analysis.

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 nCode crack growth analysis steps:

Spectrum loading defined

using a CSV file, or from
files containing more
general load data.

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 nCode crack growth analysis steps:

Results shown
graphically or
in tabular form.

Select crack growth law, NASGRO3 material library, obtained from AFGROW, is
crack geometry, and available. Can create user-defined materials via
material property. Material Manager or directly creating XML file.

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Fatigue Crack Growth

 nCode crack growth analysis demonstration problem.:

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More Information

 For more information about performing Fatigue Crack Propagation

Analysis in ANSYS, please visit our website at www.caeai.com, or call us
at 203-758-2914.

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