Multiple cracks in thermoelectroelastic bimaterials

The formulation for thermal stress and electric displacement in an infinite thermopiezoelectric plate with an interface and multiple cracks is presented. Using Green's function approach and the principle of superposition, a system of singular integral equations for the unknown temperature discontinuity defined on each crack face is developed and solved numerically. The formulation can then be used to calculate some fracture parameters such as the stress–electric displacement and strain energy density factor. The direction of crack growth for many cracks in thermopiezoelectric bimaterials is predicted by way of the strain energy density theory. Numerical results for stress–electric displacement factors and crack growth direction at a particular crack tip in two crack system of bimaterials are presented to illustrate the application of the proposed formulation.     

Kinked crack analysis by a hybridized boundary element/boundary collocation method

In this research a two dimensional displacement discontinuity method (which is a kind of indirect boundary element method) using higher order elements (i.e. a source element with a cubic variation of displacement discontinuities having four sub-elements) is used to obtain the displacement discontinuities along each boundary element. In this paper, three kinds of the higher order boundary elements are used: the ordinary elements, the kink elements and the special crack tip elements.The boundary collocation technique is used for the calculation of the displacement discontinuities at the center of each sub-elements. Again a special boundary collocation technique is used to treat the kinked source elements occur in the crack analysis. Considering the two source elements (each having four sub-elements) joined at a corner (kink point). The collocation points in the cubic element model which are outside of the kink point are moved to the crack kink then the displacement discontinuities on the left and right sides of the kink are calculated. The displacement discontinuities of the kink point are obtained by averaging the corresponding values of its left and right sides. The special crack tip elements are also treated by the boundary displacement collocation technique considering the singularity variation of the displacements and stresses near the crack tip. Some simple example problems are solved numerically by the proposed method. The numerical results are compared with the corresponding results obtained by the previous methods cited in the literature. This comparison shows a very good agreement between the results and verify the accuracy and validity of the proposed method.     

Numerical analysis of fast fracture and crack arrest in a sheet of elastic perfectly-plastic material

The dynamic fields for acceleration, deceleration and arrest of a crack tip have been investigated numerically. We consider cracks which start to extend rapidly under brittle conditions. The crack-tips then enter regions of elasto-plastic constitutive behavior and they are subsequently arrested. Results have been obtained for a symmetrically expanding central crack and for an edge crack, both in thin sheets. The elasto-plastic behavior has been described by J₂ flow theory, with the von Mises yield criterion and a bilinear relation between effective stress and effective strain. Numerical results are presented for stress and strain components at a short distance ahead of the propagating and arresting crack tips.     

A directional crack path criterion for crack growth in ductile materials subjected to shear and compressive loading under plane strain conditions

A directional crack growth criterion in a compressed elastic perfectly plastic material is considered. The conditions at the crack-tip are evaluated for a straight stationary crack with a small incipient kink. Remote load is a combined hydrostatic pressure and pure shear applied via a boundary layer. Crack surfaces in contact are assumed to develop homogenous Coulomb friction.The crack opening displacement of an extended kink is examined in a finite element analysis to judge the risk of opening mode failure. It has been found that the direction that maximizes the crack opening displacement of an extended kink tip coincides very well with a prediction of the crack growth direction obtained by using a criterion for continued crack growth direction discussed by the authors elsewhere [Int. J. Fract. 108 (2001) 351].Moreover, the by the model predicted incipient crack growth directions are qualitatively comparable with reported crack paths obtained in ductile materials in a limited number of experiments performed under a combined load of in-plane shear and compression.     

A numerical analysis of perpendicular cracks under general in-plane loading with a hybrid displacement discontinuity method

In this paper, a numerical analysis of perpendicular cracks under general in-plane loading is performed by using a hybrid displacement discontinuity method which consists of the non-singular displacement discontinuity element presented by Crouch and Starfied and the crack tip displacement discontinuity elements by the author. In the boundary element implementation the left or the right crack tip displacement discontinuity element is placed locally at corresponding left or right crack tip on top of the ordinary non-singular displacement discontinuity elements that cover the entire crack surface and the other boundary. The present numerical results show that the numerical approach is simple, yet very accurate for calculating numerically stress intensity factors for perpendicular cracks under general in-plane loading.     

Brittle fracture dynamics with arbitrary paths I. Kinking of a dynamic crack in general antiplane loading

We present a new method for determining the elasto-dynamic stress fields associated with the propagation of anti-plane kinked or branched cracks. Our approach allows the exact calculation of the corresponding dynamic stress intensity factors. The latter are very important quantities in dynamic brittle fracture mechanics, since they determine the crack path and eventual branching instabilities. As a first illustration, we consider a semi-infinite anti-plane straight crack, initially propagating at a given time-dependent velocity, that changes instantaneously both its direction and its speed of propagation. We will give the explicit dependence of the stress intensity factor just after kinking as a function of the stress intensity factor just before kinking, the kinking angle and the instantaneous velocity of the crack tip.     

Anti-plane shear cracks in ideally plastic crystals

Cracks in ductile single crystals are analyzed here for geometries and orientations such that two-dimensional states of anti-plane shear constitute possible deformation fields. The crystals are modelled as ideally plastic and yield according to critical resolved shear stresses on their slip systems. Restrictions on the asymptotic forms of stress and deformation fields at crack tips are established for anti-plane loading of stationary and quasistatically growing cracks, and solutions are presented for several specific orientations in f.c.c. and b.c.c. crystals. The asymptotic solutions are complemented by complete elastic-plastic solutions for stationary and growing cracks under small scale yielding, based on previous work by Rice (1967, 1984) and Freund (1979). Remarkably, the plastic zone at a stationary crack tip collapses into discrete planes of displacement and stress discontinuity emanating from the tip; plastic flow consists of concentrated shear on the displacement discontinuities. For the growing crack these same planes, if not coincident with the crack plane, constitute collapsed plastic zones in which velocity and plastic strain discontinuities occur, but across which the stresses and anti-plane displacement are fully continuous. The planes of discontinuity are in several cases coincident with crystal slip planes but it is shown that this need not be the case, e.g., for orientations in which anti-plane yielding occurs by multi-slip, or for special orientations in which the crack tip and the discontinuity planes are perpendicular to the activated slip plane.     

On the uses of special crack tip elements in numerical rock fracture mechanics

Numerical methods such as boundary element methods are widely used for the stress analysis in solid mechanics. These methods are also used for crack analysis in rock fracture mechanics. There are singularities for the stresses and displacements at the crack tips in fracture mechanics problem, which decrease the accuracy of the numerical results in areas very close to the crack ends. To overcome this, higher order elements and isoperimetric higher order elements have been used. Recently, special crack tip elements have been proposed and used in most of the numerical fracture mechanics models. These elements can drastically increase the accuracy of the results near the crack tips, but in most of the models only one special crack tip element has been used for each crack end. In this study the uses of higher order crack tip elements are discussed and a higher order displacement discontinuity method is used to investigate the effect of these elements on the accuracy of the results in some crack problems. The useful shape functions for two special crack tip elements, are derived and given in the text and appendix for both infinite and semi-infinite plane problems. In this analysis both Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors are computed . Some example problems are solved and the computed results are compared with the results given in the literature. The numerical results obtained here are in good agreement with those cited in the literature. For the curved crack problem, the strain energy release rate, G can be calculated accurately in the vicinity of the crack tips by using the higher order displacement discontinuity method with a quadratic variation of displacement discontinuity elements and with two special crack tip elements at each crack end.     

SGBEM modeling of fatigue crack growth in particulate composites

The symmetric-Galerkin boundary element method (SGBEM) has previously been employed to model 2-D crack growth in particulate composites under quasi-static loading conditions. In this paper, an initial attempt is made in extending the simulation technique to analyze the interaction between a growing crack and clusters of perfectly bonded particles in a brittle matrix under cyclic loading conditions. To this end, linear elastic fracture mechanics and no hysteresis are assumed. Of particular interest is the role clusters of inclusions play on the fatigue life of particulate composites. The simulations employ a fatigue crack growth prediction tool based upon the SGBEM for multiregions, a modified quarter-point crack-tip element, the displacement correlation technique for evaluating stress intensity factors, a Paris law for fatigue crack growth rates, and the maximum principal stress criterion for crack-growth direction. The numerical results suggest that this fatigue crack growth prediction tool is as robust as the quasi-static crack growth prediction tool previously developed. The simulations also show a complex interplay between a propagating crack and an inclusion cluster of different densities when it comes to predicting the fatigue life of particulate composites with various volume fractions.     

内部压力作用下矩形板中源于椭圆孔的分支裂纹应力强度因子的一种数值分析

应用一种边界元方法来研究内部压力作用下矩形板中源于椭圆孔的分支裂纹。该边界元方法由Crouch与Starfied建立的常位移不连续单元和笔者最近提出的裂尖位移不连续单元构成。在该边界元方法的实施过程中,左、右裂尖位移不连续单元分别置于裂纹的左、右裂尖处,而常位移不连续单元则分布于除了裂尖位移不连续单元占据的位置之外的整个裂纹面及其它边界。本数值结果进一步证实这种数值方法对计算有限大板中复杂裂纹的应力强度因子的有效性,同时该数值结果可以揭示裂纹体几何对应力强度因子的影响。     

SELF-SIMILAR CRACK EXPANSION METHOD FOR THE STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR ANALYSIS

The Self-Similar Crack Expansion (SSCE) method is proposed to evaluate stress intensi-ty factors at crack tips, whereby stress intensity factors of a crack can be determined by the crackopening displacement over the crack, not just by the local displacement around the crack tip. The crackexpansion rate is estimated by taking advantage of the crack self-similarity. Therefore, the accuracy ofthe calculation is improved. The singular integrals on crack tip elements are also analyzed and are pre-cisely evaluated in terms of a special integral analysis. Combination of these two techniques greatly in-creases the accuracy in estimating the stress distribution around the crack tip. A variety of two-dimen-sional cracks, such as subsurface cracks, edge cracks, and their interactions are calculated in terms ofthe self-similar expansion rate. Solutions are satisfied with errors less than 0.5% as compared with theanalytical solutions. Based on the calculations of the crack interactions, a theory for crack interactionsis proposed such that for a group of aligned cracks the summation of the square of SIFs at the right tipsof cracks is always equal to that at the left tips of cracks. This theory was proved by the mehtod ofSelf-Similar Crack Expansion in this paper.     

Anisotropic plastic stress fields at a slowly propagating crack tip

Under the condition that any perfectly plastic stress components at a crack tip are nothing but the functions of 0 only making use of equilibrium equations. Hill anisotropic yield condition and unloading stress-strain relations, in this paper, we derive the general analytical expressions of anisotropic plastic stress fields at the slowly steady propagating tips of plane and anti-plane strain. Applying these general analytical expressions to the concrete cracks, the analytical expressions of anisotropic plastic stress fields at the-slowly steady propagating tips of Mode I and Mode III cracks are obtained. For the isotropic plastic material, the anisotropic plastic stress fields at a slowly propagating crack tip become the perfectly plastic stress fields.     

On a case of crack path bifurcation in cohesive materials

Summary Experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations show that crack kinking and crack branching can be observed and simulated in brittle solids and in the fast dynamical propagation of quasi-brittle fractures. The present study shows that kinking and branching may also occur in the quasi-static regime when an isotrophic or equi-biaxial tensile state of stress arises at the tip of a cohesive crack, and may represent alternative itineraries (i.e. path bifurcation) of the fracture process. Specific reference is made to the common but meaningful case of the three-point-bending test. Various numerical techniques apt to capture the above occurrence are comparatively presented, and the influence of path bifurcation on the overall behaviour of the specimen is discussed. Received 8 October 1997; accepted for publication 22 January 1998     

Triaxial compressive behavior of rock with mesoscopic heterogenous behavior: Strain energy density factor approach

The strain energy density factor approach is used in conjunction with a micromechanics model to investigate the condition and direction of shear failure for brittle rock subjected to triaxial compression. Moderate confinement in addition to localized deformation and damage are considered. Quantified are the effects of the various geometric and load parameters that involve the interaction of microcrack, friction and the confining pressure such that the path of the wing crack is taken into account. The influence of all microcracks with different orientations are introduced into the constitutive relation. The closed-form solution for the complete stress–strain relation of rock containing microcracks is obtained. It is shown that the complete stress–strain relationship includes linear, nonlinear hardening, rapid stress drop and strain softening effects. The theoretical results show that deviation of the direction of wing cracks from the line of the pre-existing crack decreases with increasing confinement pressure and friction coefficient. Theoretical predictions and experimental results show good agreement.     

PERFECTLY PLASTIC FIELDS AT A RAPIDLY PROPAGATING PLANE-STRESS CRACK TIP

Under the condition that all the perfectly plastic stress components at a crack tiP arethe functions ofθonly,making use of the Mises yield condition,steady-state movingequations and elastic perfectly-plastic constitutive equations,we derive the generallyanalytical expressions of perfectly plastic fields at a rapidly propagating plane-stress cracktip.Applying these generally analytical expressions to the concrete crack,we obtain theanalytical expressions of perfectly plastic fields at the rapidly propagating tips of,modesⅠandⅡplane-stress cracks.     

Effect of electric displacement saturation on the hysteretic behavior of ferroelectric ceramics and the initiation and propagation of cracks in piezoelectric ceramics

This paper presents a computational investigation of a proposed simplified account for electric displacement saturation on the hysteretic behavior of initially unpoled ferroelectric ceramics as well as on the initiation and propagation of cracks in poled ferroelectric ceramics within the linear regime of piezoelectricity. For the latter case, experimental observations suggest an odd dependency of the onset of crack initiation in these brittle materials on the orientation of the applied electric field with respect to their poling direction which contradicts theoretical results which propose an even dependency of the energy release rate on the applied electric field within the framework of anisotropic linear piezoelectricity. Electric non-linearities arising at regions of inhomogeneities such as inclusions or at the crack tip are proposed in the literature to avoid this discrepancy. Electric displacement saturation is one such non-linear effect which is investigated in this work. A simplified account of this effect is proposed based on an exponential saturation model of the identified material parameters which can be related to this non-linearity. Its advantage over the superposition of a complex function onto the singular solution of a crack within the framework of linear piezoelectricity lies in the straightforward extension of the proposed approach to problems where no analytical solutions exist. This is outlined based on its incorporation into a rate-dependent ferroelectric model accounting for polarization switching as well as based on its incorporation into a finite element framework capable of simulating the initiation and propagation of cracks in piezoelectric ceramics through strong discontinuities in the displacement field and the electric potential. It is shown that besides the determination of the crack initiation onset also the crack propagation direction is influenced by the appearance of saturation zones arising at the crack tip normal to the polarization direction. The numerically obtained crack paths are found to be close to the experimentally reported results.     

The simulation of dynamic crack propagation using the cohesive segments method

The cohesive segments method is a finite element framework that allows for the simulation of the nucleation, growth and coalescence of multiple cracks in solids. In this framework, cracks are introduced as jumps in the displacement field by employing the partition of unity property of finite element shape functions. The magnitude of these jumps are governed by cohesive constitutive relations. In this paper, the cohesive segments method is extended for the simulation of fast crack propagation in brittle solids. The performance of the method is demonstrated in several examples involving crack growth in linear elastic solids under plane stress conditions: tensile loading of a block; shear loading of a block and crack growth along and near a bi-material interface.     

Asymptotic analysis of transient curved crack in functionally graded materials

Transient mixed-mode elastodynamic crack growth along arbitrary smoothly varying paths in functionally graded materials (FGMs) is considered. The property gradation in FGMs is considered by varying shear modulus and mass density exponentially along the gradation direction. Crack tip out of plane displacement fields and their gradients are developed for propagating curved cracks of arbitrary velocity using asymptotic approach. The mode-mixity due to the inclination of curved crack with respect to property gradient is accommodated in the analysis through superposition of the opening and shear modes. The expansion of the displacement fields and their gradients around the crack-tip are derived in powers of radial coordinates with the coefficients of expansion depending on the instantaneous value of the local curvature of the crack path, time derivatives of crack-tip speed, and time derivative of mode-I and mode-II stress intensity factors. The effect of the transient terms instantaneous local curvature, crack-tip speed, time derivatives of crack-tip speed, and time derivative of mode-I and mode-II stress intensity factors on the contours of constant out of plane displacement are also discussed.     

A fracture criterion for finitely deforming crystalline solids—The dynamic fracture of single crystals

The major objective of this work has been to develop, within a continuum framework, a microstructurally-based computational theory to investigate dynamic failure in metals. To model the nucleation and propagation of failure surfaces at the microstructural scale, under large deformations and dynamic loading conditions, general finite-deformation theory, as relating to the decomposition of the deformation gradient, was tailored to monitor displacement incompatibilities and fracture in crystalline solids subjected to large deformations. Based on this proposed decomposition, a general fracture criterion for finitely deforming crystals, using the integral law of incompatibility, was developed. The analyses indicate that this newly proposed fracture formulation and criterion can be validated with experimental results, and can be used to accurately predict brittle and ductile failure modes for the large deformation of single crystals. As part of the newly proposed decomposition of the deformation gradient, sub-problems can also be solved for lattice distortions, such as twinning and geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) densities. Accordingly, the interactions of GND densities with cracks were investigated for single crystals. GND densities were shown to form as loops for stationary crack tips, but no loops formed for propagating cracks.     

双轴载荷作用下源于椭圆孔的分支裂纹的一种边界元分析

利用一种边界元方法来研究双轴载荷作用下无限大板中源于椭圆孔的分支裂纹．该边界元方法由Crouch与Starfied建立的常位移不连续单元和笔者提出的裂尖位移不连续单元构成．在该边界元方法的实施过程中,左、右裂尖位移不连续单元分别置于裂纹的左、右裂尖处,而常位移不连续单元则分布于除了裂尖位移不连续单元占据的位置之外的整个裂纹面及其它边界,文中算例说明本数值方法对计算平面弹性裂纹的应力强度因子是非常有效的。该文对双轴载荷作用下无限大板中源于椭圆孔的分支裂纹的数值结果进一步证实本数值方法对计算复杂裂纹的应力强度因子的有效性,同时该数值结果可以揭示双轴载荷及裂纹体几何对应力强度因子的影响。