Damage Assessment and Fatigue Life Prediction in Exhaust Manifolds Through a Unified Method Using the FEM and XFEM

This study investigates the structural and fracture behavior of an automotive exhaust manifold with a predefined semi-elliptical surface crack under realistic thermo-mechanical loading. A combined FEM–XFEM workflow was applied; the FEM identified the critical stress concentration zone, where the maximum Von Mises stress reached 165.6 MPa at 700 °C, and the XFEM was used to model crack growth with a refined mesh. The computed Mode I stress intensity factors ranged from 21 to 24 MPa√m, remaining below the temperature-dependent fracture toughness of AISI 321 stainless steel, which confirmed stable crack behavior under service conditions. Fatigue life was assessed using the Smith–Watson–Topper (SWT) parameter. Two scenarios were considered: a quasi-pulsating case, giving a predicted life of 3.8 × 108 cycles, and a fully reversed case, reducing the life to 6.7 × 107 cycles. These results confirm that the manifold operates within the high-cycle fatigue regime, while also demonstrating the strong sensitivity of life predictions to the applied stress ratio. This combined FEM–XFEM methodology provides a reliable numerical framework for assessing crack driving forces and guiding durability-based design of exhaust manifolds.