Work

Residual Stress Field Effect on Fatigue Crack Growth Direction

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study presents a novel approach to understanding fatigue and crack growth phenomena by benchmarking experimental observations with numerical simulations. We introduced controlled residual stress fields away from notch-induced crack nucleation sites and analyzed their interaction with growing cracks. Surprisingly, our findings revealed that the introduction of generally beneficial compressive residual stresses had a counterintuitive negative impact on product fatigue life. Despite daunting challenges in applying classical fatigue principles to describe crack growth, our numerical simulations provided valuable insights, capturing the trend of observed crack paths, albeit not their velocity. This research sheds light on the complex interplay between residual stresses and crack propagation, offering important considerations for fatigue analysis and product design.

Source: Metals

DOI: 10.3390/met15080921

Authors: Peter Zobec, Jernej Klemenc

Institution: University of Ljubljana

Language: English

Topic: Fatigue and fracture mechanics

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS