Subcritical propagation of cracks of high-cycle fatigue in thin isotropic plates of finite dimensions

The formulation and the method of solution of a problem of the two-stage model construction of the fatigue crack motion in thin isotropic plates of finite dimensions under symmetric tension-compression is considered. The two-stage property is interpreted as the availability of the incubation stage and the crack propagation stage. The model is constructed on the basis of the joint consideration of the governing equations of the elasticity theory and the evolutionary equations of the continuum damage mechanics. The attainment with the damage function of its critical value is used as a criterion of the local fracture initiation moment and the fatigue fracture motion. The plates containing central and lateral cracks are considered and the estimation of the influence of the stress level, dimensions finiteness, initial crack length and the character of the change in the plastic zone length on the fracture kinetics is obtained.