Advanced crack tip stress analysis using interaction integrals in high-resolution digital image correlation fields

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of interaction integrals in high-resolution digital image correlation data to accurately analyze crack tip stresses, highlighting challenges and factors affecting the results.

Contribution

It assesses the applicability of interaction integrals in HR-DIC data and identifies key factors influencing the accuracy of SIF calculations.

Findings

Integration near the PZ causes erroneous SIF increases.

Large integration path gaps hinder accurate SIF estimation.

Crack face contact has minimal effect on SIF results.

Abstract

The link between microscopic mechanisms and macroscopic behaviour, represented by the $da/dN-\Delta K$ curve, plays an increasingly important role in relating the fatigue crack growth curve required for component design to the underlying physics. High-resolution digital image correlation (HR-DIC) allows for in-depth analysis of microscopic fatigue crack growth mechanisms, but is rarely used to determine the SIF of the crack tip. This paper examines the applicability of the interaction integral in HR-DIC data and identifies factors that should be considered when evaluating the integral results. A major influence is the integration near the PZ, which leads to an erroneous increase in the calculated SIF result. In addition, the large integration path gaps required in HR-DIC around the crack path significantly hinder accurate results. The effect of the crack face contact is overall small. While it slightly increases the SIF result, it does not correlate with the crack opening load $K_\mathrm{op}$.