Mode II stress intensity factors for a crack parallel to the surface of an elastic half-space subjected to a moving point load

The direction of propagation of rolling contact fatigue cracks is observed to depend upon the direction of motion of the load. In this paper approximate calculations are described of the variation of Mode II stress intensity factors at each tip of a subsurface crack, which lies parallel to the surface of an elastic half-space, due to a load moving over the surface. In particular the effect of frictional locking of the crack faces under the load is investigated. In consequence of frictional locking the range of SIF at the trailing tip ΔK_T is found to be about 30% greater than that of the leading tip ΔK_L, which is consistent with observations that subsurface cracks propagate predominantly in the direction of motion of the load over the surface. The effects on k_t and k_lof crack length, crack face friction, traction forces at the surface and residual shear stresses are also investigated.     

Theoretical and experimental studies in fracture mechanics of crack-like defects under biaxial loading

It is a common point of view in fracture mechanics that, for any geometry of the body with a crack and any boundary conditions for the loading acting in the body plane, the stress and displacement components near the crack tip can be approximated in the framework of the theory of elasticity by a one-parameter or one-term representation, i.e., strictly in terms of the stress intensity coefficients K _I and K _II for an arbitrary failure crack [1, 2]. The authors of [2] specified the Westergaard function of the singular solution for a central crack under the biaxial loading of a plate. This approximate two-component solution has satisfactory accuracy. It is clear from [2] that this method cannot be admitted as a general statement [1], although it has long been assumed to be correct. The cause is that one cannot reasonably justify neglecting the second term in the Williams representation of the stress components in the plane case in the form of eigenfunction series; the contribution of this term in the rectangular coordinate system x, y is independent of the distance from the crack tip. This method may result in a serious mistake, from both the qualitative and quantitative viewpoints, in the prediction of local stresses, displacements, and related variables that are of interest. Apparently, this can best be demonstrated by an example of biaxial loading of a plate with a crack [1]. The unfounded neglect of the second term (whose contribution is independent of the distance from the crack tip) in the series representing the stress components is the source of the above-mentioned difficulties. In this problem, the influence of the load applied in the direction parallel to the crack plane manifests itself only in the second term of the series [3]. Therefore, this term should be clearly determined and studied in detail in the case of technological welding defects (faulty fusions, incomplete fusions, undercuts, and slag inclusions) and crack-like defects (scratches and cuts) in the base metal. The influence of the stress σ _OX along the crack axis on the stress tensor σ _x , σ _y , τ _xy and on the displacements u _x and u _y is confirmed by experimental studies of cracks by the photoelasticity method [4].     

Characterization of crack tip stresses in plane-strain fracture specimens having weld center crack

Fracture toughness of metals depends strongly on the state of stress near the crack tip. The existing standards (like R-6, SINTAP) are being modified to account for the influence of stress triaxiality in the flaw assessment procedures. These modifications are based on the ability of so-called ‘constraint parameters’ to describe near tip stresses. Crack tip stresses in homogeneous fracture specimens are successfully described in terms of two parameters like J–Q or J–T. For fracture specimens having a weld center crack, strength mismatch ratio between base and weld material and weld width are the additional variables, along with the magnitude of applied loading, type of loading, and geometry of specimen that affect the crack tip stresses. In this work, a novel three-parameter scheme was proposed to estimate the crack tip opening stress accounting for the above-mentioned variables. The first and second parameters represent the crack tip opening stress in a homogeneous fracture specimen under small-scale yielding and are well known. The third parameter accounts for the effect of constraint developed due to weld strength mismatch. It comprises of weld strength mismatch ratio (M, i.e. ratio of yield strength of weld material to that of base material), and a plastic interaction factor (I_p) that scales the size of the plastic zone with the width of the weld material. The plastic interaction factor represents the degree of influence of weld strength mismatch on crack tip constraint for a given mismatch ratio. The proposed scheme was validated with detailed FE analysis using the Modified Boundary Layer formulation.     

A centrally cracked thin circular disk, Part I: 3D Elastic–plastic finite element analysis

A full field solution, based on small deformation, three-dimensional elastic–plastic finite element analysis of the centrally cracked thin disk under mode I loading has been performed. The solution for the stresses under small-scale yielding and lo!cally fully plastic state has been compared with the HRR plane stress solution. At the outside of the 3D zone, within a distance of rσ_o/J=18, HRR dominance is maintained in the presence of a significant amount of compressive stress along the crack flanks. Ahead of this region, the HRR field overestimate the stresses. These results demonstrate a completely reversed state of stress in the near crack front compared to that in the plane strain case. The combined effect of geometry and finite thickness of the specimen on elastic–plastic crack tip stress field has been explored. To the best of our knowledge, such an attempt in the published literature has not been made yet. For the qualitative assessment of the results some of the field parameters have been compared to the available experimental results of K, gives a fair estimate of the crack opening stress near the crack front at a distance of order 10⁻² in. On the basis of this analysis, the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics approach has been adopted in analyzing the fatigue crack extension experiments performed in the disk (Part II).     

Effect of residual surface stress on the fracture of nanoscale materials

The problem of a mode I crack in nanomaterials under a remote mechanical load is investigated. The effect of the residual surface stress on the crack surface is considered and the solutions to the crack opening displacement (COD) and the stress intensity factor (K_I) are obtained. The results show that the surface effect on the crack deformation and crack tip field are prominent at nanoscale. Moreover, COD and K_I are influenced by the residual surface stress not only on the surface near the crack tip region but also on the entire crack surface.     

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.     

An analysis on three-dimensional effects near the tip of a crack in an elastic plate

An infinite plate containing a finite through crack under tensile loading is analysed by Fourier transform based on the Kane-Mindlin kinematic assumptions for the quasi-three-dimensional deformation of plates in extension. The asymptotic expressions of stress and displacement fields near the crack tip, the variation of the stress intensity factor with the plate-thickness and the three-dimensional deformation zone near the crack tip are investigated. The results of the analysis show that, (a) the crack-tip stress and displacement fields accounting for the plate-thickness effects are different from the plane stress solutions and this is true even for extremely small parameter (=1–vh/6 a). In a very small region near the crack tip, plane strain solutions prevail; (b) the ratio of the stress intensity factor K_I to the corresponding plane stress one K_I, K_I/K _I ^o , approaches 1/(1–v²) as tends to zero; (c) plane stress solutions can give satisfactory results for points a distance from the crack tip greater than about three-fourths of the plate-thickness; (d) the linear elastic result for the zone of three-dimensional effects is approximately valid for an elasto-plastic material with linear strain-hardening when the plastic tangential mudulus E_t is not very small.The Project Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Contact zone assessment for a fast growing interface crack in an anisotropic bimaterial

Summary A plane strain problem for a crack with a frictionless contact zone at the leading crack tip expanding stationary along the interface of two anisotropic half-spaces with a subsonic speed under the action of various loadings is considered. The cases of finite and infinite-length interface cracks under the action of a moving concentrated loading at its faces are considered. A finite-length crack for a uniform mixed-mode loading at infinity is considered as well. The associated combined Dirichlet-Riemann boundary value problems are formulated and solved exactly for all above-mentioned cases. The expressions for stresses and the derivatives of the displacement jumps at the interface are presented in a closed analytical form for an arbitrary contact zone length. Transcendental equations are obtained for the determination of the real contact zone length, and the associated closed form asymptotic formulas are found for small values of this parameter. It is found that independently of the types of the crack and loading, an increase of the crack tip speed leads to an increase of the real contact zone length and the correspondent stress intensity factor. The latter increase significantly for an interface crack tip speed approaching the Ragleigh wave speed.     

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.     

Stress distribution about a slowly growing crack determined by photoelastic-coating method

An experimental stress-analysis technique using a birefringent coating is reported for determining the stress distribution about a slowly growing crack. The maximum error of the test method for a large strain gradient is found to be less than 10 percent. For a plate with an internal crack, the experimentally determined stress distribution compares favorably with two numerical solutions. Comparison of stresses about an internal or double-edge crack to those about a single-edge crack indicates that the isochromatics bend over to about 45 deg with the plane of the crack in the former and are inclined at about 60 deg in the latter. Also, the stresses for a single-crack tip vary as the inverse square root of the radius, while the stresses for a double-crack tip follow anr ^?1/4 law more closely.     

Crack separation energy-rates for the DBCS model under biaxial modes of loading

A Modified version of the Dugdale-Bilby-Cottrell-Swinden (DBCS) model simulating the effect of plasticity at the tip of a crack in an infinite region was used by kfouri and rice (1978) to calculate the crack separation energy-rate G^Δ corresponding to a finite crack growth step Δa during plane strain mode I crack extension. The loading consisted of a remote uniaxial tension σp applied normally to the plane of the crack. Using Rice's path-independent integral J to characterize the applied load in the crack tip region, and assuming the length R of the crack tip plastic zone to be small compared with the length of the crack, an analytical expression was derived relating the ratios (J/G^Δ) and (2a/R) for small values of (2a/R). The analytical solution was incomplete in itself in that the value assumed in the plastic region of the DBCS model for the normal stress Y acting on the extending crack surfaces was the product of the yield stress in uniaxial tension σ_Y and an unknown parameter C, the value of which depends on the effect of the local hydrostatic stresses in the case of plane strain conditions. The analytical solution was compared with a numerical solution obtained from a plane strain elastic-plastic finite element analysis on a centre-cracked plate (CCP) of material obeying the von Mises yield criterion. The value used for the yield stress was 310 MN/m² and moderate isotropic linear hardening was applied with a tangent modulus of 4830 MN/m². A uniaxial tension σp was applied on the two appropriate sides of the plate. The comparisons showed that the analytical and finite element solutions were mutually consistent and they enabled the value of C to be established at 1.91. In the present paper similar comparisons are made between the analytical solution and the finite element solutions for the CCP of the same material under different biaxial modes of loading. By assuming further that the form of the analytical solution does not depend on the details of the geometry and of the loading at remote boundaries, a comparison has also been made with the results of a finite element analysis on a compact tension specimen (CTS) made of the same material as the CCP. The different values of C obtained in each case are consistent with investigations by other authors on the effect of load biaxiality on crack tip plasticity.     

Two-Parameter Model of a Mode I Crack in an Elastoplastic Body under Plane-Strain conditions

The Dugdale crack model is generalized to the case of plane strain. The governing equations are set up to determine the stresses in the plastic zone. Numerical results from specific problems are analyzed and compared with those for plane stress state and other cases. A relationship between the crack model and K _I-T theory is established in the case of small-scale yielding at the crack tip __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 44–55, June 2005.     

Fatigue crack opening stress based on the strip-yield model

The modified strip-yield model based on the Dugdale model and two-dimensional approximate weight function method were utilized to evaluate the effect of in-plane constraint, transverse stress, on the fatigue crack closure. The plastic zone sizes and the crack opening stresses considering transverse stress were calculated for four specimens: single edge-notched tension (SENT) specimen, single edge-notched bend (SENB) specimen, center-cracked tension (CCT) specimen, double edge-notched tension (DENT) specimen under uniaxial loading. And the crack opening behavior of the center-cracked specimen under biaxial loading was also evaluated. Normalized crack opening stresses σ_op/σ_max for four specimens were successfully described by the normalized plastic zone parameter Δω^′_rev/ω^′ considering transverse stress, where Δω^′_rev and ω^′ are the size of the reversed plastic zone at the moment of first crack tip closure and the size of the forward plastic zone for maximum stress, respectively. The normalized plastic zone parameter with transverse stress also was satisfactorily correlated with the behavior of crack closure for CCT specimen under biaxial loading.     

Classification of stress-intensity factors from isochromatic-fringe patterns

The stresses in the local neighborhood of a crack tip have been used to develop a relation between the isochromatic-fringe orderN, its position parametersr and θ and the stress field expressed in terms of stress intensities,K _I ,K _II , and a far-field stress σ _ox . This relation was programmed and a plotting routine was developed to map isochromatic (σ₁ ? σ₂) fields in the neighborhood of the crack tip. The stress intensitiesK _I andK _II and the far-field stress σ _ox were varied and isochromatic fields were constructed for each combination. As bothK _II and σ _ox influence the size, shape and orientation of the isochromatics loops in a systematic manner, the pictorial representation of the isochromatic fields can be used to classify the state of stress (K _I ,K _II and σ _ox ) at the crack tip. Isochromatics which classify six different states of stress have been illustrated and methods used to determineK _I ,K _II , andσ _ox in five of the six states are given.     

The penny-shaped crack at a bonded plane with localized elastic non-homogeneity

This paper examines the axisymmetric problem pertaining to a penny-shaped crack which is located at the bonded plane of two similar elastic halfspace regions which exhibit localized axial variations in the linear elastic shear modulus, which has the form G(z)=G₁+G₂e^±ζz. The equations of elasticity governing this type of non-homogeneity are solved by employing a Hankel transform technique. The resulting mixed boundary value problem associated with the penny-shaped crack is reduced to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind which is solved in a numerical fashion to generate the crack opening mode stress intensity factor at the tip.     

On fatigue crack growth in ductile materials by crack-tip blunting

One of the basic mechanisms for fatigue crack growth in ductile metals is that depending on crack-tip blunting under tensile loads and re-sharpening of the crack-tip during unloading. In a standard numerical analysis accounting for finite strains it is not possible to follow this process during many cycles, as severe mesh distortion at the crack-tip results from the huge geometry changes developing during the cyclic plastic straining. In the present numerical studies, based on an elastic-perfectly plastic material model, crack growth computations are continued up to 200 full cycles by using remeshing at several stages of the plastic deformation. Three different values of the load ratio R=K_min/K_max are considered. It is shown that the crack-tip opening displacement, CTOD, typically undergoes a transient behaviour, with no crack closure during many cycles, before a steady-state cycling with crack closure at the tip starts to gradually develop.     

Photoelastic study of the stresses near a cleavage crack

Photoelastic analysis has been used to determine the stress distribution near the tip of a cleavage crack. The crack bisects a slender rectangular bar along its length, and forces are applied at one end of it tending to open it out. The region of high stresses is localized in a region of the order of the half-width of the bar in size. Very near the crack tip, the stresses decrease in proportion to the inverse square root of the distance from the crack tip. The maximum gradient of the principal tensile stress lies at an angle of 70 to 80 deg from the plane of the crack. Contour maps of the principal stresses, the 45-deg shear stress and the maximum tensile stress are presented.     

An interface crack with contact zones in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic bimaterial

An interface crack with a frictionless contact zone at the right crack tip between two semi-infinite piezoelectric/piezomagnetic spaces under the action of a remote mechanical loading, magnetic and electric fluxes as well as concentrated forces at the crack faces is considered. Assuming that all fields are independent on the coordinate x ₂ co-directed with the crack front, the stresses, the electrical and the magnetic fluxes as well as the derivatives of the jumps of the displacements, the electrical and magnetic potentials are presented via a set of analytic functions in the (x ₁, x ₃)-plane with a cut along the crack region. Two cases of magneto-electric conditions at the crack faces are considered. The first case assumes that the crack is electrically and magnetically permeable, and in the second case the crack is assumed electrically permeable while the open part of the crack is magnetically impermeable. For both these cases due to the above-mentioned representation the combined Dirichlet–Riemann boundary value problems have been formulated and solved exactly. Stress, electric and magnetic induction intensity factors are found in a simple analytical form. Transcendental equations and a closed form analytical formula for the determination of the real contact zone length have been derived for both cases of magnetic conditions in the crack region. For a numerical illustration of the obtained results a bimaterial BaTiO₃–CoFe₂O₄ with different volume fractions of BaTiO₃ has been used, and the influence of the mechanical loading and the intensity of the magnetic flux upon the contact zone length and the associated intensity factors as well as the energy release rate has been shown.     

A novel method in determination of dynamic fracture toughness under mixed mode I/II impact loading

The objective of this paper is to propose a novel methodology for determining dynamic fracture toughness (DFT) of materials under mixed mode I/II impact loading. Previous experimental investigations on mixed mode fracture have been largely limited to qusi-static conditions, due to difficulties in the generation of mixed mode dynamic loading and the precise control of mode mixity at crack tip, in absence of sophisticated experimental techniques. In this study, a hybrid experimental–numerical approach is employed to measure mixed mode DFT of 40Cr high strength steel, with the aid of the split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB) apparatus and finite element analysis (FEA). A fixture device and a series of tensile specimens with an inclined center crack are designed for the tests to generate the components of mode I and mode II dynamic stress intensity factors (DSIF). Through the change of the crack inclination angle β (=90°, 60°, 45°, and 30°), the K_II/K_I ratio is successfully controlled in the range from 0 to 1.14. A mixed mode I/II dynamic fracture plane, which can also exhibit the information of crack inclination angle and loading rate at the same time, is obtained based on the experimental results. A safety zone is determined in this plane according to the characteristic line. Through observation of the fracture surfaces, different fracture mechanisms are found for pure mode I and mixed mode fractures.     

Finite deformation analysis of crack-tip opening in elastic-plastic materials and implications for fracture

Analyses of the stress and strain fields around smoothly-blunting crack tips in both non-hardening and hardening elastic-plastic materials, under contained plane-strain yielding and subject to mode I opening loads, have been carried out by use of a finite element method suitably formulated to admit large geometry changes. The results include the crack-tip shape and near-tip deformation field, and the crack-tip opening displacement has been related to a parameter of the applied load, the J-integral. The hydrostatic stresses near the crack tip are limited due to the lack of constraint on the blunted tip, limiting achievable stress levels except in a very small region around the crack tip in power-law hardening materials. The J-integral is found to be path-independent except very close to the crack tip in the region affected by the blunted tip. Models for fracture are discussed in the light of these results including one based on the growth of voids. The rate of void-growth near the tip in hardening materials seems to be little different from the rate in non-hardening ones when measured in terms of crack-tip opening displacement, which leads to a prediction of higher toughness in hardening materials. It is suggested that improvement of this model would follow from better understanding of void-void and void-crack coalescence and void nucleation, and some criteria and models for these effects are discussed. The implications of the finite element results for fracture criteria based on critical stress or strain, or both, is discussed with respect to transition of fracture mode and the angle of initial crack-growth. Localization of flow is discussed as a possible fracture model and as a model for void-crack coalescence.