TITLE:
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
AUTHORS:
Ehsan Hedayati, Mohammad Vahedi
KEYWORDS:
Stress Intensity Factors; Extended Finite Element Method; Finite Element Method; Slant-Cracked Plate; Crack Propagation Angle; Fatigue Crack Growth
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Mechanics,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
20,
2014
ABSTRACT: 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.