A cohesive XFEM model for simulating fatigue crack growth under various load conditions

This study presents calibration and validation of a cohesive extended finite element model for fatigue crack propagation in ductile materials. The approach relies on a separation between plasticity around the crack tip and fatigue crack growth at the crack tip such that the influence of plasticity on fatigue driving forces is predicted. This implies that characterization of crack growth requires effective Paris parameters. It is shown that the calibrated model can capture fatigue crack growth behaviour in ductile materials for in-phase and out-of-phase biaxial fatigue loading as well as in-phase biaxial loading with an overload.

Automated summary

This study presents the calibration and validation of a cohesive extended finite element model for fatigue crack propagation in ductile materials, showing that the model can accurately capture the behavior of fatigue crack growth under different loading conditions in ductile materials. The approach separates plasticity around the crack tip and fatigue crack growth, predicting the influence of plasticity on fatigue driving forces and requiring effective Paris parameters for characterizing crack growth.