Application of Peridynamics to J-Integral Prediction in Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al Titanium Alloy
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Fracture toughness assessment of titanium alloys remains challenging. Peridynamics, a nonlocal continuum framework, models crack discontinuities without remeshing, offering an alternative to classical local fracture mechanics methods. In this work, a peridynamics-based numerical framework is proposed for the prediction of fracture toughness in the Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al titanium alloy. The material behavior is modeled using a state-based peridynamic formulation, which allows independent specification of elastic constants and thus avoids the fixed Poisson’s ratio limitation inherent to bond-based peridynamics—an important consideration for realistic representation of titanium alloys. Fracture is represented through progressive degradation of peridynamic interactions, where the critical stretch is derived from an energy-based fracture criterion. Standard compact tension (CT) specimens are considered, with geometry and loading conditions defined in accordance with the ASTM E1820 standard, enabling direct comparison with experimental fracture toughness measurements. To quantify fracture resistance, the Rice J-integral is evaluated from the peridynamic simulation results. A domain-based formulation of the J-integral is employed, allowing its computation from displacement and stress fields obtained within the state-based peridynamic framework. The evolution of the J-integral with increasing load and crack extension is analyzed, and its sensitivity to discretization parameters and peridynamic horizon size is discussed. Numerical predictions are compared against experimental results obtained for Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al CT specimens tested under quasi-static loading conditions. The comparison focuses on the load–displacement response and the J-integral at the onset of stable crack growth, providing a quantitative assessment of the predictive capability of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that state-based peridynamics can capture the nonlinear fracture response of Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al specimens and deliver J-integral estimates that are in reasonable agreement with experiment. The proposed framework provides a robust and flexible tool for fracture toughness evaluation of metallic alloys and can be readily extended to more complex geometries and loading scenarios.
