Comparison of stress intensity factors for cracks at countersunk holes

This paper focuses on the study and comparison of stress intensity factor solutions for cracks emanating from countersunk holes in a plate subjected to remote tension and bending moments. To explore the difference in the crack behavior at a straight-shank and countersunk rivet hole, models of holes with different shapes at various ratios of countersunk depth to plate thickness were generated, in which there were two extreme cases of countersunk holes: knife edge hole and straight-shank hole. The stress intensity factor solutions for cracks at the countersunk holes were predicted using the FEM-BEM alternating technique. The FEM-BEM alternating method, which is described in this paper, was verified by carrying out a study of the stress intensity factor for a crack at a straight-shank hole. A range of crack shapes and sizes under remote tension and bending moments were analyzed. The results from the crack analyses revealed that the crack behavior is considerably different at the countersunk holes with different countersunk depths.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye