Influence of the loading path on fatigue crack growth under mixed-mode loading

Fatigue crack growth tests were performed under various mixed-mode loading paths, on maraging steel. The effective loading paths were computed by finite element simulations, in which asperity-induced crack closure and friction were modelled. Application of fatigue criteria for tension or shear-dominated failure after elastic–plastic computations of stresses and strains, ahead of the crack tip, yielded predictions of the crack paths, assuming...