Estudio del factor de intensidad de tensiones para fisuras anulares incipientes abiertas contenidas en un eje sometido a flexión

The appearance of cracks in rotating machine elements such as shafts is one of the main causes of failure and even breakage of this machinery. Most studies on cracked shafts focus on straight or semi-elliptical cracks, when in fact cracks can also occur with a circumferential or annular front. In this work, a 3D numerical model has been developed by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM) that allows an exhaustive study of the Stress Intensity Factor at different points of the front of an annular crack contained in a shaft subjected to bending, as a function of the crack size and its eccentricity. Incipient cracks have been considered as the most dangerous for the integrity of the mechanical component.