Abstract
This paper describes implementation of the finite element method (FEM) to investigate crack growth problems in linear elastic fracture mechanics and the correlation of results with experimental and numerical data. The approach involved using two different software to compute stress intensity factors (SIFs), the crack propagation trajectory, and fatigue life estimation in two and three dimensions. According to the software, crack modeling might be run in various ways. The first is a developed source code program written in the Visual Fortran language, while the second is the widely used ANSYS Mechanical APDL 19.2 software. The fatigue crack propagation trajectory and the corresponding SIFs were predicted using these two software programs. The crack direction was investigated using the maximum circumferential stress theory, and the finite element (FE) analysis for fatigue crack growth was done for both software based on Paris's law. The predicted results in both software demonstrated the influence of holes on the crack growth trajectory and all associated stresses and strains. The study's findings agree with other experimental and numerical crack propagation studies presented in the literature that reveal similar crack propagation trajectory observations.