An experimental investigation of crack-path directional stability

Using the criterion that a crack will extend perpendicular to the maximum circumferential stress,σ _θ, we show that the directional stability of crack growth is governed by the location of microcrack initiation ahead of the crack tip. At distances greater than a geometrical radiusr _o, the maximum value ofσ _θ deviates from the position of symmetry. Thus, if we assume that the physical processes involved in fracture lead to crack initiation at a distancer _c ahead of the crack tip, the criterion for directional stability isr _o>r _c. Experimental and theoretical values ofr _o verify that, asr _o becomes small, the crack's directional stability deteriorates. Observing that a lengthwise compressive stress increasesr _o, a center-cracked specimen was developed which allows the application of controlled lengthwise compression independently of the opening-mode load. A detailed photoelastic analysis of the specimen has provided the value ofr _o as a function of the crack length. The value ofr _o is then compared with the expected microcrack initiation distances in ductile fracture. By applying sufficient lengthwise compression, we are able to make the crack grow straight and obtain numerous data points from this specimen which would otherwise be directionally unstable. The results indicate that, as the total lengthwise tensile stress at the crack tip increases, the fracture toughness also increases. Using this information we can then adjustK _Ic for zero lengthwise loading and obtain a geometry independent fracture toughness.     

K Ic and J-resistance-curve measurements on Nevada tuff

Linear-elastic fracture mechanics and J-integral test methods were used to determine the static fracture behavior of a porous volcanic tuff. Notched and prefatigued specimens of two different sizes were tested in three-point bending. The fracture toughness (K _Ic ) and theJ-resistance (J vs. crack growth) curve for each specimen was determined. The results indicate that there is good agreement between the fracture parameters determined by the two methods; however, there is some dependence of the results on specimen size. Possible reasons for this specimen-size dependence are discussed.     

An improved experimental method for the determination of the critical stress intensity factor KIc of brittle materials

The critical stress intensity factor K_Ic is determined by a simple and accurate method, using small test specimens and a simple procedure in this paper.Single edge V-notched tension specimens made of PMMA are subjected to a load which is slowly increased until the crack begins to move from the notch tip. During the crack propagation event shadow patterns at the tip of the crack are recorded in a video recorder. Under these loading conditions, the creating real crack propagate slowly until the crack propagation velocity take an abrupt increase and the entire fracture of the specimen takes place. The stress intensity factor which correspond to the transition from the slow to fast crack speed, is the critical stress intensity factor K_Ic and it can be the fracture toughness of the material.The results are accurate and in good agreement with those values of K_Ic which are calculated by approximate theoretical expressions.The purpose of this paper is to introduce an improved, simple and accurate experimental method for the determination of fracture toughness of brittle materials.     

The equivalence of K Ic and J Ic fracture-toughness measurements in Ni−Cr−Mo steels

Several series of fracture-toughness measurements were made in 4340 type steels, using both the standardK _Ic test method and theJ _Ic test method described by Landes and Begley.K _Ic results andJ _Ic results converted toK _Ic units are nearly identical for a given steel over a range of specimen size. The fracture toughness of steels produced by vacuum-degassing, remelt, and airmelt processes are compared over a range of yield stress. SimplifiedJ _Ic test procedures are suggested for use with Ni?Cr?Mo steels within certain ranges of yield stress and specimen geometry.     

Dynamic fracture behavior of ceramics at elevated temperatures by caustics

The fracture behavior of partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) and silicon-nitride ceramics (Si₃N₄) is investigated under dynamic loading at elevated temperatures up to 1200°C using the caustic method combined with an ultra high-speed camera. The values of the dynamic fracture toughnessK _Id and the crack-propagation fracture toughnessK _ID are obtained, and it is shown that a dynamic effect on these values is observed in PSZ but not in Si₃N₄. The dynamic crack arrest toughnessK _Ia is found to exist for PSZ.     

Shape factors for nozzle-corner cracks

Epoxy pressure vessels with fatigue cracks in the nozzle corner were burst.¹ The remains were cut into beams forK _Ic measurements. With nominal stress from burst pressures, crack sizes from measurements and stress intensities fromK _Ic, the shape factors were determined from the fundamental equation of fracture mechanics.     

On the relationship between critical tensile stress and fracture toughness in mild steel

An analysis is presented which relates the critical value of tensile stress (σ_f) for unstable cleavage fracture to the fracture toughness (K_Ic) for a high-nitrogen mild steel under plane strain conditions. The correlation is based on (i) the model for cleavage cracking developed by E. Smith and (ii) accurate plastic-elastic solutions for the stress distributions ahead of a sharp crack derived by J. R. Rice and co-workers. Unstable fracture is found to be consistent with the attainment of a stress intensification close to the tip such that the maximum principal stress σ_yy exceeds σ_f over a characteristic distance, determined as twice the grain size. The model is seen to predict the experimentally determined variation of K_Ic with temperature over the range -150 to -75°C from a knowledge of the yield stress and hardening properties. It is further shown that the onset of fibrous fracture ahead of the tip can be deduced from the position of the maximum achievable stress intensification. The relationship between the model for fracture ahead of a sharp crack, and that ahead of a rounded notch, is discussed in detail.     

On determination of mode II fracture toughness using semi-circular bend specimen

The cracked semi-circular specimen subjected to three-point bending has been recognized as an appropriate test specimen for conducting mode I, mode II and mixed mode I/II fracture tests in brittle materials. The manufacturing and pre-cracking of the specimen are simple. No complicated loading fixture is also required for a fracture test. However, almost all of the theoretical criteria available for mixed mode brittle fracture fail to predict the experimentally determined mode II fracture toughness obtained from the semi-circular bend (SCB) specimen. In this paper, a modified maximum tangential stress criterion is used for calculating mode II fracture toughness K_IIc in terms of mode I fracture toughness K_Ic. The modified criterion is used for predicting the reported values of mode II fracture toughness for two brittle materials: a rock material (Johnstone) and a brittle polymer (PMMA). It is shown that the modified criterion provides very good predictions for experimental results.     

A photoelastic study of energy loss during a fracture event

Static and dynamic photoelastic experiments were conducted to evaluate the energy lost due to damping in a thick-walled-ring specimen during a run-arrest fracture event. Short starter cracks were machined into a series of ring specimens fabricated from Homalite 100 and the specimens were loaded by a specially designed mechanical deformeter to giveK _Q/K_Imranging from 1.76 to 2.15. The crack was initiated and high-speed photographs of the isochromatic-fringe loops at the tip of the running crack were recorded. The data were analyzed to obtain the instantaneous stress-intensity factorK(t), the normalized crack positiona/w, and the crack velocity \(\dot a\) . A comparison ofK, as a function of positiona/w, was made between static and dynamic crack growth. Average values ofK were determined from these curves and estimates of initial strain energy and energy lost in forming the fracture surface were made. An energy balance was used to evaluate the energy loss due to damping in all the experiments. The energy loss during the run-arrest event was approximately 50 percent of initial strain energy.     

Simultaneous measurements of stress intensity and toughness for fast-running cracks in steel

Simultaneous measurements of the dynamicstress-intensity factorK _I ^dyn and the dynamic-fracture toughnessK _ID were made in a high-strength steel to investigate the relation between energy delivered to and energy absorbed by rapidly propagating cracks. Values ofK _I ^dyn were obtained intermittently during the propagation history by the shadow optical method of caustics from high-speed photographs of the moving crack tips. Values ofK _ID were calculated from temperature maxima recorded by thermocouples near the crack path. The results indicate that for fast-running cracks, the change in energy available at the crack tip can be significantly less than the energy absorbed in crack extension, suggesting that currently used dynamic-energy-balance methods for determining dynamic-fracture toughnesses may provide erroneous values.     

Microhardness indentation application and limitation in fracture-toughness evaluation of ceramics

The use of a microhardness indentation as a controlled flaw in a flexural specimen for measuring fracture toughness in advanced ceramics is critically evaluated. From a review of fracture-toughness testing methodologies for ceramics it is shown that currently there are not any standardized or widely agreed uponK _Ic test procedures. The problems associated with the controlled flaw test are discussed and analyzed. An experimental program is used to investigate the effects of residual stress on the measurement of fracture toughness in a wide variety of sintered and hot-pressed advanced ceramics including TiB₂, Al₂O₃, SiC, ZrO₂, Si₃N₄. The validity of the test procedure for evaluatingK _Ic of advanced ceramics in general is put forth.     

Stability of crack propagation associated with fracture energy determined by wedge splitting specimen

The wedge splitting test is performed on notched shaped specimens that enables the determination of energies for large fracture surfaces and material exhibiting brittle behaviour. A stability condition is deduced and found to depend on the Young's modulus and the R-curve behaviour. The latter is defined by the fracture toughness K_R and fracture energy R_c both of which depend on the crack length. A stable crack propagation is enhanced by high ratios of K′_R/K_R and R_c/K_R². The wedge loading tends to behave like raising the rigidity of the testing machine. The results are applied on an example with a special geometry.     

A dynamic analysis of modified compact-tension specimens using homalite-100 and polycarbonate plates

The dynamic fracture and crack-arrest responses of a modified compact-tension specimen (M-CT) machined from Homalite-100 and polycarbonate sheets were studied by dynamic photoelasticity, dynamic finite-element analysis and streaking photography. In contrast to some of the published results involving steel M-CT specimens, substantial dynamic effects were observed during rapid crack propagation in the Homalite-100 and polycarbonate M-CT specimens. The dynamic crack-arrest toughnesses.K _1a , were relatively constant and were about 80 percent and 50 percent of the corresponding fracture toughness,K _1c , of Homalite-100 and polycarbonate, respectively.     

A system of modified epoxies for dynamic photoelastic studies of fracture

In order to develop a moderately tough transparent polymer, a three-component modified epoxy was investigated. The polymer system included an epichlorohydrin/bisphenol A epoxy, a polyoxypropyleneamine curing agent and a curing accelerator. Twelve different compositions were prepared and evaluated in a series of static and dynamic tests to determine the material properties important in photoelastic studies of fracture. Static tests showed that the critical strain-energy release rate could be varied from 1.4 to 4.1 lb/in. by changing the constituents in the blending of the epoxy. These results forG _Ic indicate that the modified epoxies are considerably tougher than Homalite 100 (G _Ic =0.33 lb/in.) which is commonly employed as a model material in dynamic photoelastic studies. Dynamic photoelastic tests were conducted with half-plane models in order to determine the dilatational- and distortional-wave velocities,c ₁ andc ₂, as well as dynamic values of the modulus of elasticityE and Poisson's ratio ν at loading times of the order of 10^?5 s. These results indicated that the dynamic modulus of some of the modified epoxies was significantly higher than the static modulus indicating that these polymers are rate sensitive. One of the epoxy materials, Blend No. 3 withG _Ic =2.65 lb/in. (464J/m²), was calibrated dynamically. The material fringe value changed nearly linearly as a logarithmic function of time with an increase of about 100 percent as the loading time decreased from 10⁴ to 10^?4 s. This large variation inf _σ implies that the calibration constant must be adjusted when interpreting dynamic fringe patterns. Two of the epoxy compositions were also characterized in a number of fracture experiments involving crack propagation at velocities ranging from arrest conditions to terminal velocity where branching initiates. Dynamic isochromatic-fringe loops were photographed with a Cranz-Schardin multiple-spark camera. The fringe loops were analyzed to give the instantaneous stress-intensity factorK as a function of crack velocity å. The å vs.K curves appear to be invertedL shapes; however, there appears to be a double branch on the vertical part of theL. Also a slightly higherK is required for accelerating cracks and a lowerK for decelerating cracks. Further investigation is required to identify the basic mechanism involved in this fracture behavior.     

Crack propagation in concrete: Linear elastic fracture mechanics and boundary element method

Crack propagation in concrete is investigated by application of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) and the Boundary Element Method (BEM). Acoustic Emission (AE) measurement is made for detecting the load level at which unstable crack initiation occurs in a notched beam under bending. The corresponding critical stress intensity factor K_Ic does not vary appreciably with notch depth. This result is in contrast to that found by the conventional procedure.The critical stress intensity factor K_Ic is employed to analyze the process of crack propagation in an arbitraty direction. The BEM prediction is in good agreement with the experiments.The detection and assessment of crack initiation in concrete structures is of considerable technical interest.     

Dynamic mechanical and fracture properties of an infiltrated TiC-1080 steel cermet

The dynamic mechanical and fracture properties of a TiC porous network infiltrated with1080 steel are reported. Following infiltration, the cermet is subjected to various heat treatments that affect essentially the steel matrix. Dynamic compression tests show that the heat treatments increase the fracture strength of the cermet. The quasi-static fracture toughness (K_Ic) is also increased by the heat treatments. The dynamic (initiation) fracture toughness (K_Id) is substantially higher (by about a factor of 3) than its static counterpart. Failure mechanisms consist mainly of cleavage of the TiC and matrix grains, along with minor interfacial decohesion. However, dynamic loading induces substantial damage around the crack tip, consisting essentially of cleavage of TiC grains. Microcrak toughnening is believed to be responsible for the high dynamic toughness of the material. The critical microstructural fracture event is thus identified as the spreading of TiC cleavage microcracks into the neighboring steel grains.     

A study of hysteresis in theK ID -å relation

A photoelastic study of high speed crack propagation in Homalite 100 was conducted to measure hysteresis in the constitutive relation forK _ID -å. The fracture specimen was designed to obtain both crack acceleration and deceleration during a single crack extension. Additional loads perpendicular to the cráck-propagation path were applied at secondary locations to accentuate the magnitude of acceleration-deceleration observed in this specimen. The photoelastic data were analyzed using dynamic stress field equations in conjunction with the least-squares over-deterministic method to obtain the crack-propagation fracture toughness,K _ID . Crack velocity, å, was determined numerically by differentiating a polynomial fitted to the crack length-time data in a leastsquares sense. Experimental results indicate that Homalite 100 does not exhibit significant hysteresis in theK _ID -å relation.     

Dynamic measurements of initiation toughness at high loading rates

An experimental method is described for measuring the dynamic initiation toughness of a sharp stationary crack. A plane specimen is utilized which consists of a central region 50-mm wide and 200-mm long with integral dog-bone ends. The loading is accomplished by the detonation of four small explosive charges which produce two tensile stress waves upon reflection from the dog-bone ends. The stress waves meet at the midpoint of the specimen and reinforce to produce a relatively large, uniformly stressed region with a very high loading rate. The crack is positioned at the midpoint of the specimen at the location where the reinforcing tensile stress waves meet. A series of photoelastic experiments were conducted using Homalite 100 as the model material to observe, in a full-field view, the arrival of the dilatational waves, the subsequent development of the stress field at the tip of the stationary crack and the initiation of the crack. The isochromatic fringe pattern was also used to determine the instantaneous value of the stress-intensity factorK(t) after the characteristic fringe loops developed in the region near the crack tip. Finally,K(t) was measured using a single strain gage positioned and oriented so that its signal output was proportional toK(t) and independent of the next two higher order terms in the series representation of the strain field. A method was developed to determine the instant of initiation from the strain-time trace. Results obtained from the photoelastic and strain measurements of the dynamic-initiation toughnessK _ID were consistently higher than the static value ofK _IC . Paper was presented at the 1987 SEM Fall Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in Savannah, GA on October 25–28.     

In-Situ SEM J-Testing and Crack-Tip Micromechanics of Zircaloy-4 by Three-Point Bending

A three-point bend fixture has been designed, fabricated, and utilized to demonstrate the feasibility of performing in-situ J-testing at ambient and elevated temperatures inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Using the three-point bend test technique, in-situ SEM J-testing has been performed to measure the crack mouth opening displacement and crack extension as a function of the applied load in order to generate J-R curves for Zircaloy-4 at 25°C and 316°C. Once the J-R curve is determined, an equivalent K_J-resistance (K_J-R) curve is computed on the basis of a relationship between the J-integral (J) and the stress intensity factor (K). The J-R and K_J-R curves of Zircaloy-4 exhibit a rising R-curve behavior, while the elastic K-R curve underestimates the fracture resistance of Zircaloy-4 once substantial crack extension has occurred. For the specimen dimensions considered, the J-R curves generated by in-situ SEM J-tests are not sensitive to the specimen geometry and measure the actual fracture resistance of the material. Furthermore, the onset of crack extension is dictated by the emission of one or more slipbands from the crack tip, and a change in the crack-tip displacement field, followed by void formation along the slipband, and linkage of the voids with the main crack.     

平面应变下紧凑拉伸试样的动态断裂韧性的实验研究

材料的动态断裂韧性是衡量材料在动载荷作用下抵杭裂纹扩展能力的重要指标,以往的材料动态断裂韧性测试多采用三点弯曲试样,而针对紧凑拉伸试样的动态断裂韧性研究很少.本文将紧凑拉伸试样(即CT试样)简化成等效弹簧质量模型,得到了CT试样动态应力强度因子的近似表达式.对Hopkinson压杆装置进行了改进,利用改进后的实验装置进...