Abstract

In this paper it is shown that the curved crack path simulation can be improved considerably in accuracy by using a new predictor-corrector procedure that results in a piece by piece parabolic approximation of the simulated crack path in combination with the Modified Virtual Crack Closure Integral (MVCCI) method. In order to show the superiority of the proposed crack path simulation method in relation to the well established basic strategies, experiments of non-coplanar fatigue crack growth are carried out with a special specimen under lateral bending. In all cases considered the computationally predicted crack trajectories show an excel-lent agreement with the different types of curved cracks obtained experimentally.