Modelling the fretting fatigue crack growth: From short crack correction strategies to microstructural approaches

Predicting the fretting fatigue crack propagation is complex and uncertain. It implies to consider stress gradient and short crack behavior. To address this challenge former in situ synchrotron X-ray imaging of micro-fretting fatigue experiments are simulated. First a Pugno et al./Fleury et al. short crack correction (SCC) approach is considered. Then a microstructural Navarro-Rios (NR) model originally developed to analyze fatigue crack growth for short crack is transposed. Both strategies are compared. Very good agreement with experiments are observed. However the NR model provides a more physical description of the short crack behavior allowing the quantification of the non-monotonous crack growth rate when this later shifts from fretting dominant to fatigue dominant stress domain.