Numerical simulation of fatigue crack growth based on accumulated plastic strain

Fatigue crack growth (FCG) is simulated here by node release, which is made when the accumulated plastic strain reaches a critical value. The numerical procedure is very robust, showing a very fast stabilization and independence relatively to the load considered for node release. A critical accumulated plastic strain of 110% was obtained for the 2024-T351 aluminium alloy, comparing the experimental value of da/dN for a crack length of 26.5 mm...