Probabilistic character of the microcrack growth in brittle layered materials

Characteristics of microcrack initiation, multiplication and saturation in layered materials are discussed. A probabilistic-analytical method, the ‘characteristic curve method (CCM)’ is developed to correlate the initial defects and the microcrack evolution under static and cyclic loadings. The ‘equivalent applied loading’ and the ‘equivalent crack density’ concepts are introduced to describe different microcrack multiplication features in different layered materials. Microcrack multiplication processes in many layered materials with brittle matrices subjected to static and cyclic loadings can be easily predicted.