A study on the measurement of plastic zone and crack growth length at the crack tip under cyclic loading using ESPI system

The magnitude of the plastic zone around the crack tip of DENT (Double Edge Notched Tension) specimen and the crack growth length under cyclic loading were measured by ESPI (Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry) system. The measured magnitude of plastic zone was compared with the proposed by Irwin and calculated by a nonlinear static method of MSC/NASTRAN. The measured crack growth length by ESPI system was also compared with the obtained data by the image analysis system. From the study, it is confirmed that the plastic zone and crack growth length can be measured accurately with the high-tech equipment (ESPI System).<br />