Effect of specimen thickness on fatigue crack growth rate

Fatigue tests were performed on the compact tension (CT) specimens of Type 304 stainless steel and Inconel 718. To investigate the effects of specimen thickness on crack tip deformation and fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR), specimens of different thickness were used. In the analysis, the elastic plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) parameter known as the cyclic J-integral, ΔJ was adopted to observe the local plasticity at the crack tip and compared with the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) parameter known as the stress intensity factor range, ΔK. The results show that FCGR is a function of specimen thickness, the effect of which is accelerated as specimen thickness increases. Therefore, it is thought that not only applied stress level but also specimen thickness should be taken into account in the measurement of FCGR, which is not considered in ASTM E 647 (ASTM E 647, 1995. Standard test method for measurement of fatigue crack growth rates.).