Finite element analysis on bending fretting fatigue of 316L stainless steel considering ratchetting and cyclic hardening

• Bending fretting fatigue process of 316L stainless steel is simulated.
• Effects of ratcheting and cyclic hardening are considered.
• Crack initiation locations are predicted reasonably.
• Fatigue lives are predicted by the finite element model well.

Based on a simplified equivalent two-dimensional (2-D) plane strain finite element model with an equivalent normal force obtained from the three-dimensional (3-D) finite element model, the bending fretting fatigue process of 316L stainless steel is simulated numerically by ABAQUS code. In the simulation, the effects of ratchetting and cyclic hardening features on the fretting fatigue process of 316L stainless steel are discussed by implementing an advanced cyclic elasto-plastic constitutive model into ABAQUS code as a user material subroutine (UMAT). The model describes the ratchetting and cyclic hardening features of 316L stainless steel very well. From the numerical simulation, the effects of bending load and normal force on the bending fretting fatigue of 316L stainless steel are addressed, and then the crack initiation locations and the failure lives are predicted by using Smith–Watson–Topper critical plane criteria. Comparison with the corresponding experiments shows that the predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental ones.

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