Enhancing Stress Intensity Factor Reduction in Cracks Originating from a Circular Hole in a Rectangular Plate under Uniaxial Stress through Piezoelectric Actuation

Circular holes are commonly employed in engineering designs;however, they often serve as locations where cracks initiate and propagate. This paper explores a novel approach to structural repair by utilizing piezoelectric actuators. The primary focus of this study is to investigate the influence of an adhesively bonded piezoelectric actuator patch placed above a circular hole on the stress intensity factor (SIF) in an aluminium plate. The plate is subjected to uniaxial tensile stress, while the piezoelectric actuator is excited with varying voltage levels. The analysis is conducted using the finite element method (FEM), a powerful numerical technique for simulating complex structures. The study assesses the stress distribution and employs the SIF as an adequate criterion for evaluating the impact of different patch configurations. The results indicate a strong correlation between the applied voltage and the SIF. Whether the SIF increases or decreases depends on the polarization of the piezoelectric actuator. Particularly noteworthy is the finding that rectangular patches in a horizontal orientation significantly reduce the SIF compared to other patch geometries. Moreover, double-sided patches exhibit a pronounced decrease in the SIF compared to single-sided patches. In summary, this research underscores the potential of piezoelectric actuators in mitigating stress intensity in structures with circular hole with crack initiation. It offers valuable insights into the influence of applied voltage, patch geometry, and patch placement on the SIF, thereby contributing to developing effective strategies for enhancing structural integrity.

METHOD TO CALCULATE STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR OF V-NOTCH IN BI-MATERIALS

Based on Zak＇s stress function, the eigen-equation of stress singularity ofbi-materials with a V-notch was obtained. A new definition of stress intensity factor for a perpendicular interfacial V-notch of bi-material was put forward. The effects of shear modulus and Poisson＇s ratio of the matrix material and attaching material on eigen-values were analyzed. A generalized expression for calculating/（i of the perpendicular V-notch of bi-materials was obtained by means of stress extrapolation. Effects of notch depth, notch angle and Poisson＇s ratio of materials on the singular stress field near the tip of the V-notch were analyzed systematically with numerical simulations. As an example, a finite plate with double edge notches under uniaxial uniform tension was calculated by the method presented and the influence of the notch angle and Poisson＇s ratio on the stress singularity near the tip of notch was obtained.

SEMI-WEIGHT FUNCTION METHOD ON COMPUTATION OF STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS IN DISSIMILAR MATERIALS

Semi_weight function method is developed to solve the plane problem of two bonded dissimilar materials containing a crack along the bond. From equilibrium equation, stress and strain relationship, conditions of continuity across interface and free crack surface, the stress and displacement fields were obtained. The eigenvalue of these fields is lambda. Semi_weight functions were obtained as virtual displacement and stress fields with eigenvalue?_lambda. Integral expression of fracture parameters, K Ⅰ and K Ⅱ, were obtained from reciprocal work theorem with semi_weight functions and approximate displacement and stress values on any integral path around crack tip. The calculation results of applications show that the semi_weight function method is a simple, convenient and high precision calculation method.

Evaluation of mixed-mode stress intensity factors by extended finite element method

Extended finite element method （XFEM） implementation of the interaction integral methodology for evaluating the stress intensity factors （SIF） of the mixed-mode crack problem is presented. A discontinuous function and the near-tip asymptotic function are added to the classic finite element approximation to model the crack behavior. Two-state integral by the superposition of actual and auxiliary fields is derived to calculate the SIFs. Applications of the proposed technique to the inclined centre crack plate with inclined angle from 0° to 90° and slant edge crack plate with slant angle 45°, 67.5° and 90° are presented, and comparisons are made with closed form solutions. The results show that the proposed method is convenient, accurate and computationallv efficient.

METHOD TO CALCULATE BENDING CENTER AND STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS OF CRACKED CYLINDER UNDER SAINT-VENANT BENDING

Using the single crack solution and the regular solution elf plane harmonic function, the problem of Saint-Venant bending of a cracked cylinder by a transverse force was reduced to solving two sets of integral equations and its general solution was then obtained. Based on the obtained solution, a method to calculate the bending center and the stress intensity factors of the cracked cylinger whose cross-section is not thin-walled, but of small torsion rigidity is proposed. Some numerical examples are given.

A WEIGHTED RESIDUAL METHOD FOR ELASTIC-PLASTIC ANALYSIS NEAR A CRACK TIP AND THE CALCULATION OF THE PLASTIC STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS

In this paper, a weighted residual method for the elastic-plastic analysis near a crack tip is systematically given by taking the model of power-law hardening under plane strain condition as a sample. The elastic-plastic solutions of the crack lip field and an approach based on the superposition of the nonlinear finite element method on the complete solution in the whole crack body field, to calculate the plastic stress intensity factors, are also developed. Therefore, a complete analvsis based on the calculation both for the crack tip field and for the whole crack body field is provided.

COMPUTATION OF STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS BY THE SUB-REGION MIXED FINITE ELEMENT METHOD OF LINES

Based on the sub-region generalized variationM principle, a sub-region mixed version of the newly-developed semi-analytical ＇finite element method of lines＇ （FEMOL） is proposed in this paper for accurate and efficient computation of stress intensity factors （SIFs） of two-dimensional notches/cracks. The circular regions surrounding notch/crack tips are taken as the complementary energy region in which a number of leading terms of singular solutions for stresses are used, with the sought SIFs being among the unknown coefficients. The rest of the arbitrary domain is taken as the potential energy region in which FEMOL is applied to obtain approximate displacements. A mixed system of ordinary differential equations （ODEs） and algebraic equations is derived via the sub-region generalized variational principle. A singularity removal technique that eliminates the stress parameters from the mixed equation system eventually yields a standard FEMOL ODE system, the solution of which is no longer singular and is simply and efficiently obtained using a standard general-purpose ODE solver. A number of numerical examples, including bi-material notches/cracks in anti-plane and plane elasticity, are given to show the generally excellent performance of the proposed method.

SELF-SIMILAR CRACK EXPANSION METHOD FOR THE STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR ANALYSIS

The Self-Similar Crack Expansion (SSCE) method is proposed to evaluate stress intensity factors at crack tips, whereby stress intensity factors of a crack can be determined by the crack opening displacement over the crack, not just by the local displacement around the crack tip. The crack expansion rate is estimated by taking advantage of the crack self-similarity. Therefore, the accuracy of the calculation is improved. The singular integrals on crack tip elements are also analyzed and are precisely evaluated in terms of a special integral analysis. Combination of these two techniques greatly increases the accuracy in estimating the stress distribution around the crack tip. A variety of two-dimensional cracks, such as subsurface cracks, edge cracks, and their interactions are calculated in terms of the self-similar expansion rate. Solutions are satisfied with errors less than 0.5% as compared with the analytical solutions. Based on the calculations of the crack interactions, a theory for crack interactions is proposed such that for a group of aligned cracks the summation of the square of SIFs at the right tips of cracks is always equal to that at the left tips of cracks. This theory was proved by the mehtod of Self-Similar Crack Expansion in this paper.

Using Extended Finite Element Method for Computation of the Stress Intensity Factor, Crack Growth Simulation and Predicting Fatigue Crack Growth in a Slant-Cracked Plate of 6061-T651 Aluminum

The 6061-T651 aluminium alloy is one of the most common aluminium alloys for marine components and general structures. The stress intensity factor (SIF) is an important parameter for estimating the life of the cracked structure. In this paper, the stress intensity factors of a slant-cracked plate, which is made of 6061-T651 aluminum, have been calculated using extended finite element method (XFEM) and finite element method (FEM) in ABAQUS software and the results were compared with theoretical values. Numerical values obtained from these two methods were close to the theoretical values. In simulations of crack growth at different crack angles, the crack propagation angle values were closer to the theoretical values in XFEM method. Also, the accuracy and validity of fatigue crack growth curve were much closer to the theoretical graph in XFEM than the FEM. Therefore, in this paper the capabilities of XFEM were realized in analyzing issues such as cracks.

Weight Function Method for Stress Intensity Factor of Internal Surface Semi-elliptical Crack in Elliptical Holes

The hatches for inspecting are usually designed with elliptical holes in airplane structures, so computation of the stress intensity factor of three dimensional crack at elliptical holes is pivotal for damage tolerance analysis of these structures. In this paper, weight function is derived for a two dimensional through cracks at elliptical holes by applying a compounding method. Stress intensity factor formulas for an internal surface semi-elliptical crack in elliptical holes are obtained wing the three dimensional weight function method. Stress intensity factors for an internal surface semi-elliptical crack in elliptical holes under remote tension are computed. At the same time, research on how radius of curvature for elliptical holes affect stress intensity factors was conducted. Stress intensity factors decrease when radius of curvature increases. Some results and conclusions which are of practical value are given.

Thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling stress intensity factor of brittle rock

A new calculation formula of THM coupling stress intensity factor was derived by the boundary collocation method, in which an additional constant stress function was successfully introduced for the cracked specimen with hydraulic pressure applied on its crack surface. Based on the newly derived formula, THM coupling fracture modes （including tensile, shear and mixed fracture mode） can be predicted by a new fracture criterion of stress intensity factor ratio, where the maximum axial load was measured by self-designed THM coupling fracture test. SEM analyses of THM coupling fractured surface indicate that the higher the temperature and hydraulic pressure are and the lower the confining pressure is, the more easily the intergranular （tension） fracture occurs. The transgranular （shear） fracture occurs in the opposite case while the mixed-mode fracture occurs in the middle case. The tested THM coupling fracture mechanisms are in good agreement with the predicted THM coupling fracture modes, which can verify correction of the newly-derived THM coupling stress intensity factor formula.

Numerical Computation of Stress Intensity Factors for Bolt-hole Corner Crack in Mechanical Joints

The three-dimensional finite element method is used to solve the problem of the quarter-elliptical comer crack of the bolt-hole in mechanical joints being subjected to remote tension. The square-root stress singularity around the corner crack front is simulated using the collapsed 20-node quarter point singular elements. The contact interaction between the bolt and the hole boundary is considered in the finite element analysis. The stress intensity factors （SIFs） along the crack front are evaluated by using the displacement correlation technique. The effects of the amount of clearance between the hole and the bolt on the SIFs are investigated. The numerical results indicate that the SIF for mode I decrease with the decreases in clearance, and in the cases of clearance being present, the corner crack is in a mix-mode, even if mode I loading is dominant.

New Formulation for Arbitrary Cracks Problem and Its Stress Intensity Factor of Plane Elasticity

Aim The general arbitrary cracked problem in an elastic plane was discussed. Methods For the purpose of acquiring the solution of the problem, a new formulation on the problem was proposed. Compared with the classical plane elastic crack model, only the known conditions were revised in the new formulation, which are greatly convenient to solve the problem, and no other new condition was given. Results and Conclusion The general exact analytic solution is given here based on the formulation though the problem is very complicated. Furthermore, the stress intensity factors K Ⅰ, K Ⅱ of the problem are also given.

Analysis of dynamic stress intensity factors of three-point bend specimen containing crack

A new formula is obtained to calculate dynamic stress intensity factors of the three-point bending specimen containing a single edge crack in this study. Firstly, the weight function for three-point bending specimen containing a single edge crack is derived from a general weight function form and two reference stress intensity factors, the coefficients of the weight function are given. Secondly, the history and distribution of dynamic stresses in uncracked three-point bending specimen are derived based on the vibration theory. Finally~ the dynamic stress intensity factors equations for three-pointing specimen with a single edge crack subjected to impact loadings are obtained by the weight function method. The obtained formula is verified by the comparison with the numerical results of the finite element method （FEM）. Good agreements have been achieved. The law of dynamic stress intensity factors of the three-point bending specimen under impact loadings varing with crack depths and loading rates is studied.

Effect of crack face contact on dynamic stress intensity factors for a hole-edge crack

In order to determine the dynamic stress intensity factors(DSIFs)for a single edge crack at the center hole of a finite plate under a compressive step loading parallel to the crack,the finite element method was employed to solve the cracked plate problem.The square-root stress singularity around the crack tip was simulated by quarter point singular elements collapsed by 8-node two-dimensional isoparametric elements.The DSIFs with and without considering crack face contact situations were evaluated by using the displacement correlation technique,and the influence of contact interaction between crack surfaces on DSIFs was investigated.The numerical results show that if the contact interaction between crack surfaces is ignored,the negative mode I DSIFs may be obtained and a physically impossible interpenetration or overlap of the crack surfaces will occur.Thus the crack face contact has a significant influence on the mode I DSIFs.

Determination of stress intensity factor with direct stress approach using finite element analysis

In this article, a direct stress approach based on finite element analysis to determine the stress intensity factor is improved. Firstly, by comparing the rigorous solution against the asymptotic solution for a problem of an infinite plate embedded a central crack, we found that the stresses in a restrictive interval near the crack tip given by the rigorous solution can be used to determine the stress intensity factor, which is nearly equal to the stress intensity factor given by the asymptotic solution. Secondly, the crack problem is solved numerically by the finite element method. Depending on the modeling capability of the software, we designed an adaptive mesh model to simulate the stress singularity. Thus, the stress result in an appropriate interval near the crack tip is fairly approximated to the rigorous solution of the corresponding crack problem. Therefore, the stress intensity factor may be calculated from the stress distribution in the appropriate interval, with a high accuracy.

DETERMINATION OF THE DYNAMIC STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS,K_Ⅰ~d AND K_Ⅱ~d,FOR A MIXED-MODE PROPAGATING CRACK

In this paper,the dynamic propagation problem of a mixed-mode crack was studied by means of the experimental method of caustics.The initial curve and caustic equations were derived un- der the mixed-mode dynamic condition.A multi-point measurement method for determining the dy- namic stress intensity factors,K_Ⅰ~d and K_Ⅱ~d,and the position of the crack tip was developed.Several other methods were adopted to check this method,and showed that it has a good precision.Finally, the dynamic propagating process of a mixed-mode crack in a three-point bending beam specimen was investigated with our method.

Evaluation of Stress Intensity Factors for Multiple Cracked Circular Disks Under Crack Surface Tractions with SBFEM

Stress intensity factors （SIFs） for the cracked circular disks under different distributing surface tractions are evaluated with the scaled boundary finite element method （SBFEM）. In the SBFEM, the analytical advantage of the solution in the radial direction allows SIFs to be directly determined from its definition, therefore no special crack-tip treatment is necessary. Furthermore anisotropic material behavior can be treated easily. Different distributions of surface tractions are considered for the center and double-edge-cracked disks. The benchmark examples are modeled and an excellent agreement between the results in the present study and those in published literature is found. It shows that SBFEM is effective and possesses high accuracy. The SIFs of the cracked orthotropic material circular disks subjected to different surface tractions are also evaluated. The technique of substructure is applied to handle the multiple cracks problem.

Evaluation of Stress Intensity Factors Subjected to Arbitrarily Distributed Tractions on Crack Surfaces

The stress intensity factors （SIF） considering arbitrarily distributed surface tractions are evaluated based on the sealed boundary finite element method （SBFEM）. The semi-analytical solving process for the stress intensity factors including the effects of surface tractions is presented. Provided are the numerical examples for the evaluation of mode I and Ⅱ stress intensity factors with linear and non-linear distributing forces loaded on the crack surfaces. The crack problems of anisotropy and bimaterial interface are also studied and the stress intensity factors of single-edge-cracked orthotropic material and bi-material interface problems with surface tractions are calculated. Comparisons with the analytical solutions show that the proposed approach is effective and possesses high accuracy.

Analysis of stress intensity factor in orthotropic bi-material mixed interface crack

Adopting the complex function approach, the paper studies the stress intensity factor in orthotropic bi-material interface cracks under mixed loads. With con- sideration of the boundary conditions, a new stress function is introduced to transform the problem of bi-material interface crack into a boundary value problem of partial dif- ferential equations. Two sets of non-homogeneous linear equations with 16 unknowns are constructed. By solving the equations, the expressions for the real bi-material elastic constant εt and the real stress singularity exponents λt are obtained with the bi-material engineering parameters satisfying certain conditions. By the uniqueness theorem of limit, undetermined coefficients are determined, and thus the bi-material stress intensity factor in mixed cracks is obtained. The bi-material stress intensity factor characterizes features of mixed cracks. When orthotropic bi-materials are of the same material, the degenerate solution to the stress intensity factor in mixed bi-material interface cracks is in complete agreement with the present classic conclusion. The relationship between the bi-material stress intensity factor and the ratio of bi-material shear modulus and the relationship be- tween the bi-material stress intensity factor and the ratio of bi-material Young＇s modulus are given in the numerical analysis.