Analysis of dynamic growth of a tensile crack in an elastic-plastic material

The influence of inertia on the stress and deformation fields near the tip of a crack growing in an elastic-plastic material is studied. The material is characterized by the von Mises yield criterion and J₂ flow theory of plasticity. The crack grows steadily under plane strain conditions in the tensile opening mode. Features of the stress and deformation state at points near the moving crack tip are described for elastic-perfectly plastic response and for several crack propagation speeds. It is found that inertia has a significant effect on the elastic-plastic response of material particles near the crack tip, and that elastic unloading may occur behind the crack tip for higher speeds. The relationship between the applied crack driving force, represented by a remote stress intensity factor, and the crack tip speed is examined on the basis of a critical crack tip opening angle growth criterion. The calculated result is compared with dynamic fracture toughness versus crack speed data for a 4340 steel.     

Mixed mode (I and II) crack tip fields in bulk metallic glasses

Stationary crack tip fields in bulk metallic glasses under mixed mode (I and II) loading are studied through detailed finite element simulations assuming plane strain, small scale yielding conditions. The influence of internal friction or pressure sensitivity on the plastic zones, notch deformation, stress and plastic strain fields is examined for different mode mixities. Under mixed mode loading, the notch deforms into a shape such that one part of its surface sharpens while the other part blunts. Increase in mode II component of loading dramatically enhances the normalized plastic zone size, lowers the stresses but significantly elevates the plastic strain levels near the notch tip. Higher internal friction reduces the peak tangential stress but increases the plastic strain and stretching near the blunted part of the notch. The simulated shear bands are straight and extend over a long distance ahead of the notch tip under mode II dominant loading. The possible variations of fracture toughness with mode mixity corresponding to failure by brittle micro-cracking and ductile shear banding are predicted employing two simple fracture criteria. The salient results from finite element simulations are validated by comparison with those from mixed mode (I and II) fracture experiments on a Zr-based bulk metallic glass.     

Fracture mechanics of plates and shells applied to fail-safe analysis of fuselage Part I: Theory

In this paper, a general theory on the asymptotic field near the crack tip for plates and shells with and without shear deformation effect is established. It is found that four stress intensity factors, two for symmetrical and antisymmetrical stretching and two for symmetrical and antisymmetrical bending, are required to describe arbitrary asymptotic fields near the crack tip for plates without shear deformation. An additional stress intensity factor is required for the transverse shearing force induced by antisymmetrical bending when the shear deformation is included in the analysis. It is also proven by means of the complex variable technique that for problems of plates with shear deformation, there exist similarities in the asymptotic expressions of moments and membrane forces and also in the asymptotic expressions of in-plane displacements and rotations of the mid-surface. The energy release rate associated with crack growth in the direction of the crack line can be expressed in terms of stress intensity factors by means of Irwin's method of work and energy associated with a virtual crack extension. A combined stress intensity factor can be defined through the total energy release rate. The theory of the fracture of plates is generalized and applied to the study of problems in the fracture of shells. An example of an infinitely long cylindrical shell with a circumferential crack subjected to remote axial tension is given to demonstrate the application of the theory and to test the accuracy of the numerical analysis used for the problem.     

Finite deformation analysis of crack tip fields in plastically compressible hardening–softening–hardening solids

Crack tip fields are calculated under plane strain small scale yielding conditions. The material is characterized by a finite strain elastic–viscoplastic constitutive relation with various hardening–softening–hardening hardness functions. Both plastically compressible and plastically incompressible solids are considered. Displacements corresponding to the isotropic linear elastic mode I crack field are prescribed on a remote boundary. The initial crack is taken to be a semi-circular notch and symmetry about the crack plane is imposed. Plastic compressibility is found to give an increased crack opening displacement for a given value of the applied loading. The plastic zone size and shape are found to depend on the plastic compressibility, but not much on whether material softening occurs near the crack tip.On the other hand, the near crack tip stress and deformation fields depend sensitively on whether or not material softening occurs. The combination of plastic compressibility and softening(or softening–hardening) has a particularly strong effect on the near crack tip stress and deformation fields.     

On the fracture toughness of ferroelastic materials

The toughness enhancement due to domain switching near a steadily growing crack in a ferroelastic material is analyzed. The constitutive response of the material is taken to be characteristic of a polycrystalline sample assembled from randomly oriented tetragonal single crystal grains. The constitutive law accounts for the strain saturation, asymmetry in tension versus compression, Bauschinger effects, reverse switching, and strain reorientation that can occur in these materials due to the non-proportional loading that arises near a propagating crack. Crack growth is assumed to proceed at a critical level of the crack tip energy release rate. Detailed finite element calculations are carried out to determine the stress and strain fields near the growing tip, and the ratio of the far field applied energy release rate to the crack tip energy release rate. The results of the finite element calculations are then compared to analytical models that assume the linear isotropic K-field solution holds for either the near tip stress or strain field. Ultimately, the model is able to account for the experimentally observed toughness enhancement in ferroelastic ceramics.     

Steady-state mode III delamination crack in a periodically layered medium

A non-homogeneous layered space with a semi-infinite interface crack is considered. Isotropic elastic layers having dissimilar thicknesses and shear moduli are arranged periodically and the antiplane stress state is produced by a shear loading applied to the crack faces. Application of the representative cell method based on the discrete Fourier transform allows to reduce the initial problem to the problem for a single bi-layered cell in the transform space and to formulate the Wiener–Hopf equation. The final result is presented in the form of triple quadratures. A parametric study of the stress intensity factor revealed some qualitative differences in its behavior for the cases of equal and non-equal layers thicknesses. The obtained analytical result is employed to derive of the closed form eigensolution corresponding to the traction free crack faces and vanishing remote loading. In addition to the local near tip square root asymptote this solution has also the remote one on a macroscale. The influence of the problem parameters on the ratio of the near to the far stress intensity factor is investigated and expressed by a simple algebraic formula which is confirmed by energy considerations. It is found that when the thin layers are more compliant this ratio is always less than unity, while in the opposite case the local stress singularity may exceed the remote one.     

The damage tolerance of elastic-brittle, two-dimensional isotropic lattices

The fracture toughness of elastic-brittle 2D lattices is determined by the finite element method for three isotropic periodic topologies: the regular hexagonal honeycomb, the Kagome lattice and the regular triangular honeycomb. The dependence of mode I and mode II fracture toughness upon relative density is determined for each lattice, and the fracture envelope is obtained in combined mode I-mode II stress intensity factor space. Analytical estimates are also made for the dependence of mode I and mode II toughness upon relative density. The high nodal connectivity of the triangular grid ensures that it deforms predominantly by stretching of the constituent bars, while the hexagonal honeycomb deforms by bar bending. The Kagome microstructure deforms by bar stretching remote from the crack tip, and by a combination of bar bending and bar stretching within a characteristic elastic deformation zone near the crack tip. This elastic zone reduces the stress concentration at the crack tip in the Kagome lattice and leads to an elevated macroscopic toughness.Predictions are given for the tensile and shear strengths of a centre-cracked panel with microstructure given explicitly by each of the three topologies. The hexagonal and triangular honeycombs are flaw-sensitive, with a strength adequately predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) for cracks spanning more than a few cells. In contrast, the Kagome microstructure is damage tolerant, and for cracks shorter than a transition length its tensile strength and shear strength are independent of crack length but are somewhat below the unnotched strength. At crack lengths exceeding the transition value, the strength decreases with increasing crack length in accordance with the LEFM estimate. This transition crack length scales with the parameter of bar length divided by relative density of the Kagome grid, and can be an order of magnitude greater than the cell size at low relative densities. Finally, the presence of a boundary layer is noted at the free edge of a crack-free Kagome grid loaded in tension and in shear. Deformation within this boundary layer is by a combination of bar bending and stretching whereas remote from the free edge the Kagome grid deforms by bar stretching (with a negligible contribution from bar bending). The edge boundary layer degrades both the macroscopic stiffness and strength of the Kagome plate. No such boundary layer is evident for the hexagonal and triangular honeycombs.     

Reverse shear on inclined planes at the tip of a sharp crack

Plane strain plastic yielding at a crack tip has been represented by edge dislocations with Burgers vectors parallel to symmetrical planes inclined at 70° and 45° to the plane of the crack. The plastic displacement and the stresses near the crack tip were calculated by a numerical method and the effect of a reduction in applied stress was determined. Removal of the whole or a part of the initial load produces reverse shear in regions of the slip band nearest the crack tip. The amount of reverse shear depends only on the reduction in the load and not on its initial value. The reverse shear is associated with the presence of negative dislocations and the stresses near the crack tip may become compressive even though the applied (remote) stress is still tensile. The degree and extent of compression depends on the reduction in applied stress and on its original value. It is argued that the residual compressive stresses produced under fluctuating loads may produce crack closure and crack arrest. The effect of residual plasticity in a slip band left behind a growing crack has been estimated. It is shown that after an overload the excess residual plasticity opposing crack opening rises to a maximum value when the crack tip has advanced some distance from the point where the overload was applied.     

Analytical representation of the non-square-root singular stress field at a finite angle sharp notch

The stress field near the tip of a finite angle sharp notch is singular. However, unlike a crack, the order of the singularity at the notch tip is less than one-half. Under tensile loading, such a singularity is characterized by a generalized stress intensity factor which is analogous to the mode I stress intensity factor used in fracture mechanics, but which has order less than one-half. By using a cohesive zone model for a notional crack emanating from the notch tip, we relate the critical value of the generalized stress intensity factor to the fracture toughness. The results show that this relation depends not only on the notch angle, but also on the maximum stress of the cohesive zone model. As expected the dependence on that maximum stress vanishes as the notch angle approaches zero. The results of this analysis compare very well with a numerical (finite element) analysis in the literature. For mixed-mode loading the limits of applicability of using a mode I failure criterion are explored.     

Effect of temperature on the fracture modes of BHW-35 steel under mode-II loading

Finite element method (FEM) has been used to analyze the stress and strain fields and the stress tri-axial levels around the tip of the crack under mode- II loading. The results show that: under mode- II loading, the direction of the maximum tensile stress and that of the maximum tri-axial levels (R _o ) exist at an angle of –75. 3° from the original crack plane; the maximum shear stress andR _o = 0 exist along the original crack plane.Mode- II loading experiment using BHW-35 steel at different temperatures show that there are two kinds of fracture mode, opening mode (or tensile mode) and sliding mode (or shear mode). A decrease in temperature causes the fracture mode to change from shear mode to tensile mode. For BHW-35 steel, this critical temperature is about –90 C. Actually, under any kind of loading mode (mode I . mode II , mode III or mixed mode), there always exist several kinds of potenital fracture modes (for example, opening mode, sliding mode, tearing mode or mixed mode). The effect of temperature under mode- II loading is actually related to the change of the elastic-plastic properties of the material.     

Pre-kinking of a moving crack in a magnetoelectroelastic material under in-plane loading

A constant moving crack in a magnetoelectroelastic material under in-plane mechanical, electric and magnetic loading is studied for impermeable crack surface boundary conditions. Fourier transform is employed to reduce the mixed boundary value problem of the crack to dual integral equations, which are solved exactly. Steady-state asymptotic fields near the crack tip are obtained in closed form and the corresponding field intensity factors are expressed explicitly. The crack speed influences the singular field distribution around the crack tip and the effects of electric and magnetic loading on the crack tip fields are discussed. The crack kinking phenomena is investigated using the maximum hoop stress intensity factor criterion. The magnitude of the maximum hoop stress intensity factor tends to increase as the crack speed increases.     

A small-scale magnetic-yielding model for an infinite magnetostrictive plane with a crack-like flaw

The effect of an external magnetic field on the fracture toughness of magnetostrictive materials has been investigated by determining the local stress fields around the tip of a very slender elliptical flaw embedded in an infinite magnetostrictive plane subjected to magnetic loading, based on the assumption of linear magnetization. In this paper, the above-mentioned analytical approach is extended to develop a small-scale magnetic-yielding model. The magnetic saturation zone is constructed and the distributions of magnetic field and magnetization are obtained around the tip of a slender elliptical crack. Based on the complex potential theory, the stress field is obtained in the vicinity of the tip of the slender elliptical crack by implementing the continuity conditions of displacement and resultant force at the interface between the magnetic saturation and magnetoelastic zones. The stress fields near the tip of the slender elliptical crack are obtained for two kinds of soft ferromagnetic materials each with a small induction magnetostrictive modulus. The theoretical results obtained show that the stresses in the neighborhood of a crack-tip are finite even when the elliptical crack reduces to a sharp crack, and are much smaller than the yield stress or the nominal fracture stress of the material. This suggests that, generally, the magnetic field has no obvious effects on the apparent fracture toughness of soft ferromagnetic materials, which is in agreement with the existing experimental results published in the existing literature. In addition, the theoretical analysis illustrates that no crack is magnetically impermeable, and the corresponding boundary conditions are inappropriate for fracture analysis of soft ferromagnetic materials.     

Nonlinear response of anti-plane shear crack

Investigated in this communication is the nonlinear response of an anti-plane shear crack. A nonlinear hardening/softening relation is assumed between the resultant shear stress and shear strain for determining the state of affairs near the crack tip. Amplification of the local stress fields is obtained in terms of the material parameters by assuming that nonlinearity is confined to the immediate vicinity of the crack tip region.     

A numerical study of crack tip constraint in ductile single crystals

In this work, the effect of crack tip constraint on near-tip stress and deformation fields in a ductile FCC single crystal is studied under mode I, plane strain conditions. To this end, modified boundary layer simulations within crystal plasticity framework are performed, neglecting elastic anisotropy. The first and second terms of the isotropic elastic crack tip field, which are governed by the stress intensity factor K and T-stress, are prescribed as remote boundary conditions and solutions pertaining to different levels of T-stress are generated. It is found that the near-tip deformation field, especially, the development of kink or slip shear bands, is sensitive to the constraint level. The stress distribution and the size and shape of the plastic zone near the crack tip are also strongly influenced by the level of T-stress, with progressive loss of crack tip constraint occurring as T-stress becomes more negative. A family of near-tip fields is obtained which are characterized by two terms (such as K and T or J and a constraint parameter Q) as in isotropic plastic solids.     

Stress intensity factors for circular hole and inclusion using finite element alternating method

A centre cracked plate subjected to remote tensile and shear loading is considered for the analysis. Effect of circular hole and influence of shrunk fit inclusion on stress intensity factors are studied. Multiply connected domain boundary value problem is solved using finite element alternating method (FEAM). Parametric studies involving drilled hole/inclusion sizes and locations are investigated. Energy release rates evaluated using the stress field obtained by FEAM are in good agreement with other methods. The optimum location in reducing the stress intensity factor with hole/inclusion is obtained and located at a distance 20% of semi-crack length from crack tip on the side opposite the ligament for Mode-I loading and it is also observed that the location is almost invariant of hole sizes. For Mode-II loading, the optimum location for the hole is located at a distance about 23% of semi-crack length from the middle of the crack along the transverse direction.     

Loss of adhesion at the tip of an interface crack

A model is constructed to analyze adhesive bond failure at the tip of an interface crack. The model is based on the assumption that there are zones of bounded cohesive tensile and shear stresses near a crack tip. Within the context of certain broad a-priori assumptions on the distributions of certain stress and displacement components in the cohesive zones, the requirement thatall stresses in the two materials remain bounded provides a method to compute the specific details for these zones. It is assumed that bond failure occurs when the extension of the bond fiber at the crack tip exceeds a critical value. For an interface crack in a uniform tension field computations for two alternate formulations suggest that this failure criterion is independent of the precise distribution of the cohesive stresses, but rather depends only upon their averaged values. Combined loading with a dominant tensile component has also been analyzed. If the critical extension of bond fibers and the maximum value of the cohesive tensile stress are known, the model provides the maximum allowable interface stresses for given crack dimension and material parameters.     

Asymptotic character of mixed mode in plane deformation of crack in rubber-like material

The asymptotic stress and strain distribution near a crack tip in rubber-like materials is determined by finite element for in-plane mixed mode loading. For large strain, the crack tip field is always in a state of uniaxial tension. The shear load affects only the orientation of the deformed near tip field in the space. A good agreement is obtained between the theoretical and numerical results.     

Near-tip fields for a crack growing along an elastic perfectly plastic interface

The stress and deformation fields near the tip of an anti-plane crack growing quasi-statically along an interface of elastic perfectly plastic materials are given in this paper. A family of solutions for the growing crack fields is found covering all admissible crack line shear stress ratios. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Effects of pre-stress on crack-tip fields in elastic,incompressible solids

A closed-form asymptotic solution is provided for velocity fields and the nominal stress rates near the tip of a stationary crack in a homogeneously pre-stressed configuration of a nonlinear elastic, incompressible material. In particular, a biaxial pre-stress is assumed with stress axes parallel and orthogonal to the crack faces. Two boundary conditions are considered on the crack faces, namely a constant pressure or a constant dead loading, both preserving an homogeneous ground state. Starting from this configuration, small superimposed Mode I or Mode II deformations are solved, in the framework of Biot's incremental theory of elasticity. In this way a definition of an incremental stress intensity factor is introduced, slightly different for pressure or dead loading conditions on crack faces. Specific examples are finally developed for various hyperelastic materials, including the J₂-deformation theory of plasticity. The presence of pre-stress is shown to strongly influence the angular variation of the asymptotic crack-tip fields, even if the nominal stress rate displays a square root singularity as in the infinitesimal theory. Relationships between the solution with shear band formation at the crack tip and instability of the crack surfaces are given in evidence.     

Permeable cracks between two dissimilar piezoelectric materials

An interfacial crack with electrically permeable surfaces between two dissimilar piezoelectric ceramics under electromechanical loading is investigated. An exact expression for singular stress and electric fields near the tip of a permeable crack between two dissimilar anisotropic piezoelectric media are obtained. The interfacial crack-tip fields are shown to consist of both an inverse square root singularity and a pair of oscillatory singularities. It is found that the singular fields near the permeable interfacial crack tip are uniquely characterized by the real valued stress intensity factors proposed in this paper. The energy release rate is obtained in terms of the stress intensity factors. The exact solution of stress and electric fields for a finite interfacial crack problem is also derived.