Experimental analysis and modelling of fatigue crack initiation mechanisms

The present work is devoted to simulation of fatigue crack initiation for cyclic loading within
the nominal elastic regime. It is assumed that damage growth occurs due to action of mean
stress and its fluctuations induced by crystalline grain inhomogeneity and the free boundary
effect. The macrocrack initiation corresponds to a critical value of accumulated damage.
The modelling of damage growth is supported by Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry
(ESPI) apparatus using coherent laser light.