Evaluation of mixed-mode crack growth criteria under rolling contact conditions

Paper in proceedings, 2018

Fatigue crack growth direction criteria are evaluated towards a twin-disc experiment from the literature. The experiment is modelled numerically at different crack lengths. Based on numerically evaluated stresses, strains and displacements, a range of crack growth direction criteria from the literature are evaluated and compared to the experimentally found crack growth direction. In the considered experiment, the growth is essentially shear driven. Of the evaluated criteria employed to a linear elastic analysis, the Maximum Shear Stress (MSS) and Vector Crack-Tip Displacement (VCTD) criteria are found to be able to capture the experimentally found crack growth direction throughout the fatigue life.