INFLUENCE OF THREE DIMENSIONAL FINITE ELEMENT MESH SIZE ON PLASTICITY INDUCED CRACK CLOSURE PHENOMENON

Abstract

In the present work, a CT aluminium specimen has been modelled three-dimensionally and several calculations have been made in order to evaluate the influence of the mesh size around the crack front. The numerical accuracy is analysed in terms of crack closure and opening values as in terms of the stress and strain fields near the crack front. Classical bi-dimensional recommendations are updated.