Comparative study between crack closure model and Willenborg model for fatigue prediction under overload effects

A comparative study is performed between a crack closure model and the Willenborg model, which can calculate the fatigue crack growth rate under the overload effects. The modified virtual crack annealing (VCA) model is briefly reviewed, which is based on the equivalent plastic zone concept. In this method, the retardation phenomenon is explained by the crack closure level variation, which is derived from the interactions between forward and reverse plastic zones ahead of the crack tip. As a comparison, the Forman equation in conjunction with the Willenborg model is also reviewed. The retardation phenomenon is described by directly modifying the stress intensity factor. It is known that the large plastic zone created by the overload can decelerate the fatigue crack growth rate until the crack grows beyond this region. A relationship between the plastic zone and the modified stress intensity factor is developed, which is a mathematical fitting equation instead of physical-based formulation. The experimental data in aluminum alloys are used to validate these two models. Overall, good agreement is observed between the model predictions and the testing data. It is noted that the approach based on modified VCA model can give more accurate prediction curves than the Willenborg model.