Fatigue crack growth prediction in specimens similar to spur gear teeth

The problem of fatigue crack propagation in surface treated specimens similar to gear teeth is analysed. Experimental fatigue tests were carried out on carburized, and carburized and shot peened, specimens. In order to predict crack propagation and to consider the effect of the treatments, different models of the cracked specimens were realized. Two numerical approaches were followed: the finite element method and the weight function technique. Two-and three-dimensional finite element models were constructed, and the stress-intensity factors were evaluated by considering the effect of both the load and the residual stresses due to the treatments. The agreement between these and those obtained through the weight function technique is good. The weight function approach was used directly in the computer software package (which allows crack propagation predictions) and considered the effects of hardness and residual stresses. The comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental results validated the approach followed.