Three different approaches to analysis cracked ring with opposite concentrated loads

Abstract

Abstract Circular ring is the most useful specimen in industry. However, any small crack exists on it will cause some damage about the equipment and even more some serious disaster. As we understand plastic hinge will appear if we increase the load of the ring. The ring will collapse when there are four plastic hinges. The sequence of formation of these hinges is also depended on the location of the crack of the ring. In this paper three different approaches i.e., theoretical, numerical, and experimental will be presented. The theoretical approach is based on the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and the method of superposition. The boundary element method (BEM) will be employed in the numerical approach. Finally, the cracked ring specimen was made of Aluminum 6061-T6 whose property is close to the ideally elastic-plastic material property in the experimental approach. The results show the consistency of these three different approaches and provide reasonable information to inspect the circular ring used in daily life.