Energy release rates in a constrained epoxy disc with Hookean and Mooney–Rivlin materials

Assuming that the disc material can be modeled either as Mooney–Rivlin or as Hookean and the steel ring enclosing the disc as Hookean, the energy release rates as a function of the crack length are evaluated and compared. Two loadings are considered––one in which the surface of the star shape hole in the disc is loaded by a uniform pressure and the other in which the temperature of the composite body is uniformly raised. It is found that the linear and the nonlinear analyses give qualitatively similar results for the two loadings. For each load, the energy release rate increases with an increase in the starter crack length, reaches a maximum value and then decreases gradually.