Effect of temperature on fracture parameters of aluminum alloy Al 6061: A numerical study

Abstract

The fracture parameters of a material are affected by several operating parameters. The temperature of the specimen is one of the factors that significantly affects the fracture parameters. This paper presents the numerical investigation on fracture parameters at elevated temperatures and at different loads for a three-point bend test specimen having through thickness crack. The temperature of the specimen in the study varies from 250C to 3500C. The increase in temperature of the specimen changes the mechanical property of the material, which in turn changes the fracture parameter. The current study shows that the rise in temperature of the specimen at a constant load causes an increase in the values of crack mouth opening displacement and crack tip opening displacement, while the stress intensity factor is found to be independent of test temperature.