Finite Element Modelling of Fatigue Crack Shapes

This paper describes a versatile finite element technique which has been used to investigate the fatigue growth and stability of a wide range of structural defects of practical importance. The procedure automatically remeshes the three‐dimensional finite element model during the stages of crack growth. Problems analysed to date include the subsurface and breakout growth of internally initiated elliptical defects, the growth of semi‐elliptical surface cracks in leak‐before‐break situations, the development of quarter‐elliptical corner defects, the interaction and coalescence of two adjacent coplanar semi‐elliptical surface defects and the fatigue growth of a defect in a round bar.