Characterization of discontinuous crack closure behavior after the application of a single overload cycle

This paper aims to analyze the discontinuous crack closure behavior observed after a single tensile overload (OL) under otherwise constant ΔK loading. The investigation was performed on a disk-shaped compact tension DC(T) specimen made of Al6351-T6 with thickness of 2 mm, in order to simulate the case of a crack propagating under plane stress conditions. The Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique was used in situ to obtain the full-field...