Investigating the Influence of Holes as Crack Arrestors in Simulating Crack Growth Behavior Using Finite Element Method

Abstract

The primary focus of this paper is to investigate the application of ANSYS Workbench 19.2 software’s advanced feature, known as Separating Morphing and Adaptive Remeshing Technology (SMART), in simulating the growth of cracks within structures that incorporate holes. Holes are strategically utilized as crack arrestors in engineering structures to prevent catastrophic failures. This technique redistributes stress concentrations and alters crack propagation paths, enhancing structural integrity and preventing crack propagation. This paper explores the concept of using holes as crack arrestors, highlighting their significance in increasing structural resilience and mitigating the risks associated with crack propagation. The crack growth path is estimated by applying the maximum circumferential stress criterion, while the calculation of the associated stress intensity factors is performed by applying the interaction integral technique. To analyze the impact of holes on the crack growth path and evaluate their effectiveness as crack arrestors, additional specimens with identical external dimensions but without any internal holes were tested. This comparison was conducted to provide a basis for assessing the role of holes in altering crack propagation behavior and their potential as effective crack arrestors. The results of this study demonstrated that the presence of a hole had a significant influence on the crack growth behavior. The crack was observed to be attracted towards the hole, leading to a deviation in its trajectory either towards the hole or deflecting around it. Conversely, in the absence of a hole, the crack propagated without any alteration in its path. To validate these findings, the computed crack growth paths and associated stress intensity factors were compared with experimental and numerical data available in the open literature. The remarkable consistency between the computational study results for crack growth path, stress intensity factors, and von Mises stress distribution, and the corresponding experimental and numerical data, is a testament to the accuracy and reliability of the computational simulations.

Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of Equivalent Stress Intensity Factor Models under Mixed-Mode (I+II) Loading

“…ANSYS introduced the SMART methodology, which allows for dynamic mesh adjustments during the simulation progression [9]. This technology has been recently assessed and successfully compared to experimental results [38]. The geometry, as illustrated in Figure 3a, was modeled in ANSYS, using quadratic tetrahedral meshing, with an influence sphere of 20 mm around the crack tip and element size of 0.5 mm, this resulted in a mesh comprising 127,305 nodes and 91,640 elements shown in Figure 4a.…”

Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of Equivalent Stress Intensity Factor Models under Mixed-Mode (I+II) Loading

“…ANSYS introduced the SMART methodology, which allows for dynamic mesh adjustments during the simulation progression [9]. This technology has been recently assessed and successfully compared to experimental results [36]. The geometry, as illustrated in Figure 2a, was modeled in ANSYS, using quadratic tetrahedral meshing, with an influence sphere of 20 mm around the crack tip and element size of 0.5 mm, this resulted in a mesh compromising 127305 nodes and 91640 elements shown in Figure 3a.…”

Quasi-Static and Dynamic Crack Propagation by Phase Field Modeling: Comparison with Previous Results and Experimental Validation

“…The last example considered in this sub-section was the 'one crack two holes' studied by Grégoire [57] and Li et al [56]. The aim was to better understand the effect of holes presence at the cracks; initiation and propagation, as treated by Fageehi and Alshoaibi [58]. The specimen was directly impacted by a fast jack with an impact velocity of 10 m/s.…”