Investigation of the influence of thickness on the mixed-mode fatigue
crack growth in a nickel-based superalloy
Abstract
The high-temperature structure of aero-engine usually works in the
environment of high temperature and fatigue load, which leads to a very
complicated crack problem. This paper presents mixed-mode fatigue crack
growth (FCG) experiments conducted on compact tension shear (CTS)
specimens made of a nickel-based superalloy at 550 °C, with varying
thicknesses. The influence of thickness on mixed-mode FCG behavior was
investigated by experiments and finite element method (FEM) analysis.
The expanded FCG model, which considers thickness effects based on
closure theory, provides a more precise prediction of crack growth rates
for mixed-mode loading conditions. In addition, it is observed that the
mixed-mode FCG da/dN-ΔK curve for nickel-based superalloys shifts
vertically as the specimen thickness varies, and the thickness has no
effect on the mixed-mode FCG angle. This achievement has made a
significant contribution to the damage tolerance design of aircraft
engines.