A Combined Experimental and Modelling Approach to Elastic-Plastic Crack Driving Force Calculation in the Presence of Residual Stresses

Since all residual stress measurement methods have inherent limitations, it is normally impractical to completely characterise a three-dimensional residual stress field by experimental means. This lack of complete information makes it difficult to incorporate measured residual stress data into the analysis of elastic-plastic fracture without resorting to simplified methods such as the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) approach. We propose a technique in which the complete residual stress field is reconstructed from measurements and used in finite element analysis of the fracture process. Residual elastic strains and stresses in three-point bend fracture specimens were measured using neutron diffraction and an iterative method was used to generate a self-consistent estimate of the complete residual stress field. This enabled calculation of the J contour integral for a specimen acted on by both residual stress and an externally-applied load, allowing the interaction between residual and applied stress to be observed in detail.