Peridynamics for predicting pit-to-crack transition

Even though the failure mechanisms in aerospace structures are mainly governed by the incidence of fatigue loading, environmentally assisted fracture related pit-to-crack transition can still occur in many aluminum alloys, stainless steels and high strength low alloy steels. Despite of the relative rarity of this phenomenon, the consequent failures can be extremely destructive and lead to the loss of an aircraft. Prediction of damage evolution starting at corrosion pits acting as precursor to cracking has been hampered by a lack of insight into the process, as well as limitations in visualization and measurement techniques. In this regard, numerical modeling can be beneficial. The current study presents numerical predictions of pit evolution from a flat metal surface to realistic pit morphologies by using a new continuum mechanics formulation, peridynamics. Intergranular/transgranular pit-tocrack transition under different loading conditions and microstructural features are investigated without imposing any limiting assumption on the site of the crack initiation. Based on the numerical results, it can be concluded that microstructure has a significant effect for the prediction of pit-to-crack transition phenomenon.