crack propagation in steel pipe 1

[studentdave121]

Hi,

I am fairly proficient in ansys but I need some help on crack propagation. I have a pipe and am impacting it,on the top, with a force. How do I initiate a crack, at half the thickness, of the pipe?

 

[cbrn]

Hi,
I'd suggest to carefully read the Chap.12 of "Structural Analysis Guide": "Fracture Mechanics". In fact, ANSYS 11 has a lot of potentialities which could help you with your problem.
One "caveat" though: of course Ansys can not predict where the crack will occur, as it is a semi-stochastic phenomenon which principally depends on the presence of "micro-defects" in the material. However, as you surely know, rational assumptions can be made about where the probability to initiate a crack is at a maximum.

Regards