Finite Element Methods Modelling of Crack Initiation and Propagation under High Cycle Fatigue: a Systematic Review of the State of the Art

• A review was conducted on the main numerical methods used to study the fatigue life of components subjected to High Cycle Fatigue. • The systematic search was carried out on Scopus, with a total of 67 papers reviewed. • The most used theoretical models and numerical strategies were also described. • Both crack nucleation and propagation, at microscopic and macroscopic level were addressed. • Reviewed papers were classified according to theoretical models, numerical strategies and investigated fatigue phenomena Fatigue crack growth during High-Cycle Fatigue (HCF) is a critical issue in engineering, as it can lead to the failure of structural components subjected to repeated loads. Understanding the mechanisms of crack growth is essential for predicting material lifetimes and preventing catastrophic failures in applications such as aerospace, automotive, and civil engineering structures. The complexity of crack behaviour under high cycle fatigue conditions necessitates advanced analytical and numerical methods for accurate assessments. Traditional experimental approaches are often time-consuming and expensive, making numerical simulations an appealing alternative. Techniques such as finite element allow modeling of complex interactions between stress fields and crack growth, providing valuable insights into the effects of material properties, loading conditions, and environmental factors on crack nucleation and propagation. This paper presents a literature review of the current numerical methods for analyzing crack nucleation and propagation in components subjected to HCF conditions. A systematic search using Boolean operators was conducted in the Scopus database. The articles were classified into major categories, including the numerical approach employed and the scale at which simulations were performed. The findings revealed a clear trend in literature at the microscopic level, with a preference for using the Crystal Plasticity Finite Element Method to analyze crack nucleation and propagation. In contrast, this trend was not evident at the macroscopic level, where no single dominant research tool was identified. Instead, classic finite element method emerged as the most used approach, primarily to extract data for applying various criteria to both nucleation and propagation analyses.