Both dynamic machines such as vehicles and static structures operate under mixed loads instead of a single load. Although a crack grows under single load apparently, real crack does not grow with self similarity because of boundary conditions and mate...
Both dynamic machines such as vehicles and static structures operate under mixed loads instead of a single load. Although a crack grows under single load apparently, real crack does not grow with self similarity because of boundary conditions and material properties. In that sense, even though a single load applied to the crack, mixed mode loading conditions (MMLC) should be considered for local crack tip. Normally, the MMLC have more than two components of stress, and combined loading of MMLC with mode I and II is the most common case. The mode I and II fracture are governed by tensile stress component and shear stress component, respectively. According to previous studies of MMLC, tensile stress component is the major component of crack initiation and growth. On the other hand, shear stress component brings down crack driving forces. For example, if a crack branches as kinked or forked manner, the effective crack driving force is reduced by the formation of two stress components, i.e. effective crack driving force under MMLC is smaller than under mode I only. With increasing the level of mode mixture, the ratio of shear stress component for tensile stress component, both of crack initiation lifetime and failure lifetime are increased. These results are due to the effective crack driving force was decreased by effect of crack closure was owing to shear stress component with mode II on MMLC.
In addition, crack closure for MMLC is different from that of mode I loading condition. Crack closure depends mostly on stress ratio (R) under mode I, but it also depends on the level of mode mixture and R under MMLC. The effect of the level of mode mixture on the crack closure under MMLC can be confirmed by crack opening ratio which is the ratio of opening effective stress intensity factor for maximum effective stress intensity factor. The majority of crack closure studies have been concentrated on the case of mode I, and it is hardly find the study of crack closure under MMLC. One of the major reasons of difficulty for the study under MMLC is that crack closure can be quantified by the variation of the level of mode mixture.
In this study, various effects of MMLC on the crack closure are studied experimentally. And the fatigue behavior analyzed by crack closure under MMLC. Fatigue crack growth and measuring of crack tip displacement tests are conducted by modified compact tension shear (MCTS) specimens to validate effects of the level of mode mixture and R on crack growth behavior and observe crack closure under mixed-mode (mode I and mode II) loading conditions. The tests are applied at two different modes such as mode I only and mixed mode I/II and at two different constant amplitude loads with a stress ratio. Crack tip displacement (CTD) is observed using the computerized image processing system to observe crack closure with variation of the level of mode mixture. The computerized image processing system is useful to take continuous photographs of the crack tip displacement during cyclic loads without stopping testing machine. To quantify crack closure, the observed crack opening displacement is analyzed by crack tip displacement (CTD) vector method. The CTD vector method is very effective for decomposing crack closure into two different stress components such as tensile and shear stress components under MMLC.
The crack opening ratio can be obtained from the CTD vector method, and crack closure behavior is correlated well with the calculated crack opening ratio. For high level of mode mixture and low load amplitude, crack closure is larger than that for low level of mode mixture and high load amplitude. In addition, effective stress intensity factor range can be recalculated by application of crack closure as a function of crack opening ratio. In conclusion the effects of crack closure by Mode II under MMLC and load amplitude at fatigue test are verified using the fractographic by C-scan.