Cyclic crystal plasticity analyses of stationary, microstructurally small surface cracks in ductile single phase polycrystals

This paper explores the effects of microstructural heterogeneity on the cyclic crack tip opening and sliding displacements for stationary, microstructurally small transgranular surface cracks in a single phase metallic polycrystal using planar double slip crystal plasticity computations. Crack rip displacements are examined under plane strain conditions for stationary cracks of different lengths relative to grain size as a function of the applied nominal strain amplitude for tension-compression and cyclic shear. Nominal strain amplitudes range from well below to slightly above the nominal cyclic yield strength for each type of loading condition. Results indicate the complex nature of the crack tip sliding and opening displacements as functions of nominal strain amplitude and orientation of the nearest neighbour grains, the influence of the free surface in promoting the cyclic opening displacement even for cracks in the first surface grain, the rather restricted limits of applicability of linear elastic fracture mechanics, and very interesting crack tip plasticity effects which include crack tip displacement ratcheting or progressive accumulation, even for completely reversed, proportional applied loading. Results are compared for cases with and without crack face friction.