Transient thermal fracture of cracked plates

The effects of a transient thermal load on a cracked plate are studied experimentally using photothermoelasticity. The three crack configurations of an edge crack, an interior vertical crack and an interior crack inclined at 45 deg are analyzed. In each case, the initially heated plates are subjected to cooling along the edge, while the faces of the plate are either completely insulated, or noninsulated, or in a third case, they are covered with heated transparent Plexiglas plates. It is shown that among the three cracks, the largest transient maximum stress-intensity factor occurs for the edge crack. The inclined crack is subjected to a mixed-mode loading. Among the three cooling conditions, the most severe is the insulated faces case while the noninsulated is the least severe. The relative effect of the cooling conditions on the stress-intensity factors for the three crack types is different enough that the results with one cooling condition would not represent those of another one. A comparison of the experimental transient stress-intensity factors for the vertical crack cases to the finite-element results shows good agreement.     

Numerical evaluation of generalized stress-intensity factors in multi-layered composites

The problem of the evaluation of the generalized stress-intensity factors for re-entrant corners in multi-layered structural components is addressed. An approximate analytical model based on the theory of multi-layered beams is presented. This approach provides a simple closed-form solution for the direct computation of the Mode I stress-intensity factor for the general problem of a re-entrant corner symmetrically meeting a bi-material interface. For the self-consistency of the theory, re-entrant corners in homogeneous materials and cracks perpendicular to bi-material interfaces can also be gained as limit cases of this formulation. According to this approach, the effects of the elastic mismatch parameters, the value of the notch angle and the thicknesses of the layers on the stress-intensity factor are carefully quantified and the results are compared with FE solutions. FE results are obtained by applying a combination of analytical and numerical techniques based on the knowledge a priori of the asymptotic stress field for re-entrant corners perpendicular to a bi-material interface and on the use of generalized isoparametric singular finite elements at the notch tip. A good agreement between approximate and analytical/numerical predictions is achieved, showing the effectiveness of this approach.     

An analytical and experimental stress analysis of a practical mode II fracture test specimen

A boundary-collocation method has been employed to determine the Mode II stress-intensity factors for a pair of through-the-thickness edge cracks in a finite isotropic plate. An elastostatic analysis has been carried out in terms of the complete Williams stress function employing both even and old components. The results of the numerical analysis were verified by a two-step procedure whereby the symmetric (Mode I) and antisymmetric (Mode II) portions of the solution were independently compared with existing solutions. Since no previous analytical solutions existed for the asymmetric loading of an edge-cracked plate, the complete solution was verified by comparison with a photoelastic analysis. A compact shear (CS) specimen of Hysol epoxy resin was loaded in a photoelastic experiment designed to study the isochromatic-fringe patterns resulting from the Mode II crack-tip stress distribution. The experiment verified that a pure mode II stress distribution existed in the neighborhood of the crack tips, and confirmed the accuracy of the boundary-collocation solution for the Mode II stress-intensity factors. Specimen center-line stress-distribution data were obtained photoelastically and employed to refine the boundary-collocation analysis. Agreement between the analytically and experimentally determined Mode II stress-intensity factors was excellent.     

Photoelastic investigation of crack-inclusion interaction

An experimental procedure is presented for determining the mode I stress-intensity factor of an edge crack with a nearby rigid elliptical inclusion in a finite plate loaded in uniform tension. The rigid inclusion was modeled by bonding two identical steel inclusions on to the faces of a thin plate of polycarbonate. Models were constructed with edge cracks and various inclusion geometries so that the effect of parameters such as inclusion shape, orientation, and cracktip position on the stress-intensity factors of the crack could be determined. Photoelasticity experiments were used for this investigation and the results were compared to the results of a similar theoretical analysis of the interaction between a crack and an inclusion in an infinite plate. A good correlation was found between the experimental and theoretical models indicating that the results may help provide a better understanding of the toughening mechanisms in materials such as short-fiber-reinforced composites and ceramics. This experimental method is relatively easy to use making it an attractive candidate to be applied to similar problems involving cracks and inhomogeneities.     

Mixed-mode crack-tip deformations studied using a modified flexural specimen and coherent gradient sensing

An optical mapping of deformation fields and evaluation of fracture parameters near mixed-mode cracks in homogeneous specimens under elastostatic conditions is undertaken. A modified edge notched flexural geometry is used in the study and its ability in providing a relatively wide range of mode mixities is demonstrated. A full-field, optical shearing interferometry called ‘coherent gradient sensing’ (CGS) is used in the study. Crack-tip parameters such as stress-intensity factors, mode mixity and energy-release rate are measured from the interference patterns. The patterns are analyzed using Williams' mixed-mode, asymptotic expansion field. An expression for energy-release rate for the specimen is also derived using beam theory. The theoretical stress-intensity factors are then obtained using a mode-partitioning method based on moment decomposition. Experimental measurements and theoretical predictions are found to be in good agreement. Limitations of the mode-partitioning method used in the investigation are also pointed out.     

Stress-intensity factors for surface cracks in functionally graded materials under mode-I thermomechanical loading

This paper describes the development and application of a general domain integral method to obtain J-values along crack fronts in three-dimensional configurations of isotropic, functionally graded materials (FGMs). The present work considers mode-I, linear-elastic response of cracked specimens subjected to thermomechanical loading, although the domain integral formulation accommodates elastic–plastic behavior in FGMs. Finite element solutions and domain integral J-values for a two-dimensional edge crack show good agreement with available analytical solutions for both tension loading and temperature gradients. A displacement correlation technique provides pointwise stress-intensity values along semi-elliptical surface cracks in FGMs for comparison with values derived from the proposed domain integral. Numerical implementation and mesh refinement issues to maintain path independent J-values are explored. The paper concludes with a parametric study that provides a set of stress-intensity factors for semi-elliptical surface cracks covering a practical range of crack sizes, aspect ratios and material property gradations under tension, bending and spatially-varying temperature loads.     

Thermal stresses in a solid containing parallel circular cracks

This paper presents an analysis of the steady-state thermal stresses and displacements in an infinite elastic medium containing two or more parallel coaxial circular cracks. A “perturbation” technique is employed to reduce the problem of finding the temperature and the induced stresses to integral equations of Fredholm type which may be solved by numerical means or iterations. Two types of prescribed thermal conditions are considered. The first is concerned with a uniform flow of heat disturbed by insulated cracks and the second deals with stress-free cracks whose surfaces are exposed to identical amounts of heat. The details of the analysis are illustrated by considering the case of two cracks symmetrically located about the mid plane of the solid. When the cracks are of equal radii, iterative solutions of the governing integral equations are derived and used to determine expressions for the stress-intensity factors (opening and edge-sliding modes), displacements of crack surfaces and other quantities of physical interest which are valid for widely spaced cracks.     

An investigation of propagating cracks by dynamic photoelasticity

A 16-spark gap, modified schardin-type camera was constructed for use in dynamic photoelastic analysis of fracturing plastic plates. Using this camera system, dynamic photoelastic patterns in fracturing Homalite-100 plates, 3/8 in. × 10 in. × 15 in. with an effective test area of 10 in. × 10 in., loaded under fixed grip condition were recorded. The loading conditions were adjusted such that crack acceleration, branching, constant velocity, deceleration and arrest were achieved. The Homalite-100 material was calibrated for static and dynamic properties of modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, and stress-optical coefficient. For dynamic calibration, a Hopkinson bar setup was used to record the material response under constant-strain-rate loading conditions. The precise location of the dynamic isochromatic patterns in relation to the crack tip was determined by a scanning microdensitometer. This information was then used to determine dynamic stress-intensity factors which were compared with corresponding static stress-intensity factors determined by the numerical method of direct stiffness. Although the response of the dynamic stress-intensity factor to increasing crack length was similar to the static stress-intensity-factor response, the dynamic values were approximately 40 percent higher than the static values for constant-velocity cracks. for decelerating cracks, the peak values of dynamic stress-intensity factors were 40 percent higher than the corresponding static values.     

Analysis of three-dimensional edge cracks under tensile loading

Three-dimensional edge cracks are analyzed using the Self-Similar Crack Expansion (SSCE) method with a boundary integral equation technique. The boundary integral equations for surface cracks in a half space are presented based on a half space Green's function (Mindlin, 1936). By using the SSCE method, the stress intensity factors are determined by the crack-opening displacement over the crack surface. In discrete boundary integral equations, the regular and singular integrals on the crack surface elements are evaluated by an analytical method, and the closed form expressions of the integrals are given for subsurface cracks and edge crakcs. This globally numerical and locally analytical method improves the solution accuracy and computational effort. Numerical results for edge cracks under tensile loading with various geometries, such as rectangular cracks, elliptical cracks, and semi-circular cracks, are presented using the SSCE method. Results for stress intensity factors of those surface breaking cracks are in good agreement with other numerical and analytical solutions.     

THE CONSTITUTIVE RELATION OF CRACK-WEAKENED ROCK MASSES UNDER AXIAL-DIMENSIONAL UNLOADING

An accurate and efficient numerical method for solving the crack-crack interaction problem is presented. The method is mainly by means of the dislocation model, stress superposition principle and Chebyshev polynomial expansion of the pseudo-traction. This method can be applied to compute the stress intensity factors of multiple kinked cracks and multiple rows of periodic cracks as well as the overall strains of rock masses containing multiple kinked cracks under complex loads. Many complex computational examples are given. The dependence of the crack-crack interaction on the crack configuration, the geometrical and physical parameters, and loads pattern, is investigated. By comparison with numerical results under confining pressure unloading, it is shown that the crack-crack interaction under axial-dimensional unloading is weaker than those under confining pressure unloading. Numerical results for single faults and crossed faults show that the single faults are more unstable than the crossed faults. It is found from numerical results for different crack lengths and different crack spacing that the interaction among kinked cracks decreases with an increase in length of the kinked cracks and the crack spacing under axial-dimensional unloading.     

The anti-plane solution for the edge cracks originating from an arbitrary hole in a piezoelectric material

In this paper, a general and simple way was found to solve the problem of an arbitrary hole with edge cracks in transversely isotropic piezoelectric materials based on the complex variable method and the method of numerical conformal mapping. Firstly, the approximate mapping function which maps the outside of the arbitrary hole and the cracks into the outside of a circular hole is derived after a series of conformal mapping process. Secondly, based on the assumption that the surface of the cracks and hole is electrically impermeable and traction-free, the approximate expressions for the complex potential, fields intensity factors and energy release rates are presented, respectively. Thirdly, under the in-plane electric loading together with the out-plane mechanical loading, the influences of the hole size, crack length and mechanical/electric loading on the fields intensity factors and energy release rates are analyzed. Finally, some particular holes with edge cracks are studied in numerical analysis. The result shows that, the mechanical loading always promotes crack growth, while the electric loading may retard crack growth.     

Experimental and Numerical Study of Shear Fracture in Brittle Materials with Interference of Initial Double Cracks

A simultaneous experimental and numerical study of shear fracture of concrete-like materials is carried out using Brazilian disc specimens with initial double edge cracks and fourpoint bending beam specimens with double edge-notches.The interference effects of two cracks/notches are investigated through varied ligament angles and crack lengths.It is shown that shear fracturing paths change remarkably with the initial ligament angles and crack lengths.The cracked specimens are numerically simulated by an indirect boundary element method.A comparison between the numerical results and the experimental ones shows good agreement.     

An accurate and fast analysis for strongly interacting multiple crack configurations including kinked (V) and branched (Y) cracks

In this study, multiple interacting cracks in an infinite plate are analyzed to determine the overall stress field as well as stress intensity factors for crack tips and singular wedges at crack kinks. The problem is formulated using integral equations expressed in terms of unknown edge dislocation distributions along crack lines. These distributions derive from an accurate representation of the crack opening displacements using power series basis terms obtained through wedge eigenvalue analysis, which leads to both polynomial and non-polynomial power series. The process is to choose terms of the series and their exponents such that the tractions on the crack faces are virtually zero compared to the far field loading. Applying the method leads to a set of linear algebraic equations to solve for the unknown weighting coefficients for the power series basis terms. Since no numerical integration is required unlike in other methods, in most cases, solution takes just a few seconds on a PC. The accuracy and efficiency of the method are first demonstrated with a simple example of three aligned cracks with small ligaments between their tips under tensile loading. The results are compared to exact results as well as to those of other numerical methods, including recent FIE, FEM and BEM approaches said to have fast computation times. Thereafter, some new and challenging crack interaction problems including branched Y-cracks, two kinked V-cracks are solved. From a parametric study of the various crack configurations, stress intensity factors are graphed and tabulated to demonstrate subtleties in the magnitudes of the crack interactions.     

On the problem of crack system with an elliptic hole

The problem of cracks with an elliptic hole in an infinite plane is investigated. By introducing the fictitious loads on the hole edge and using the Muskhelishvili method, the problem is reduced to solving a system of mixed-type integral equations in which some are Fredholm equations but others Cauchy-type singular ones. A numerical method is suggested and can be used for the treatment of other similar equations. The numerical results for some typical examples are given, showing that the method is really effective.     

孔洞裂纹问题的一种数值方法

研究孔洞与裂纹的相互作用问题,通过把适于单一裂纹的Bueckner原理扩充到含有多孔洞多裂纹的一般体系,将原问题分解为承受远处载荷不含裂纹不含孔洞的均匀问题,和在远处不承受载荷但在裂纹面上和孔洞表面上承受面力的多孔洞多裂纹问题.于是,以应力强度因子作为参量的问题可以通过考虑后者来解决,而利用笔者提出的杂交位移不连续法,这种多孔洞多裂纹问题是容易数值求解的.算例说明该数值方法对分析平面弹性介质中孔洞与裂纹的相互作用既简单又有效.     

Calculation of the scattering of elastic waves from a penny-shaped crack by the method of optimal truncation

The method of optimal truncation (MOOT) [1, 2], a least-squares boundary-residual method [3] for solving scattering problems, is applied to the plane circular crack. An equatorially cloven spherical inclusion is used to model the crack. Numerical advantages of this model are discussed and demonstrated. Results are given for cross sections for longitudinal waves incident on the crack at arbitrary angles. Both clear cracks and fluid-filled cracks are considered. A refinement of the method which would allow accurate calculation of dynamic stress-intensity factors is developed.     

Determination of stress-intensity factors for cracks in tubes under torsion

An experimental investigation by two-dimensional photoelastic technique is carried out to study the stress distribution and to determine the stress-intensity factors for arbitrarily oriented cracks in thin cylindrical shells subjected to torsion. A new method is employed to evaluate the pure and mixed-mode SIF's.     

用裂纹张开位移全场拟合法求应力强度因子-边裂纹问题

从一组给定的的裂纹张开位移（COD）资料求应力强度因子（SIF）的好方法应具有以下特征：（1）这个方法应最大限度地利用已知的COD信息；（2）数值计算只包含位移量；（3）后处理简单；（4）所得到的SIF的误差可由COD资料本身的误差来估计。该文将求内裂纹SIF的COD全场拟合法扩充应用到边裂纹问题，该方法具有上述优点。对几种典型的边裂纹用边界元法得到的COD资料，用这种方法得到了可靠性高、一致性好的SIF，其计算精度与所用的COD资料的平均精度具有相同的量级。     

Automated numerical simulation of the propagation of multiple cracks in a finite plane using the distributed dislocation method

In this paper, an automated numerical simulation of the propagation of multiple cracks in a finite elastic plane by the distributed dislocation method is developed. Firstly, a solution to the problem of a two-dimensional finite elastic plane containing multiple straight cracks and kinked cracks is presented. A serial of distributed dislocations in an infinite plane are used to model all the cracks and the boundary of the finite plane. The mixed-mode stress intensity factors of all the cracks can be calculated by solving a system of singular integral equations with the Gauss–Chebyshev quadrature method. Based on the solution, the propagation of multiple cracks is modeled according to the maximum circumferential stress criterion and Paris' law. Several numerical examples are presented to show the accuracy and efficiency of this method for the simulation of multiple cracks in a 2D finite plane.     

High-order asymptotics and perturbation problems for 3D interfacial cracks

We present an asymptotic algorithm for analysis of a singularly perturbed problem in a domain containing an interfacial crack. The crack is assumed to be flat and its front, initially straight, is perturbed in the plane containing the crack. The aim of the work is to determine the asymptotic representation of the stress-intensity factors near the edge of the crack. Mathematically, the limit problem is reduced to the analysis of a matrix, 3×3, Wiener-Hopf problem, and its solution generates the “weight matrix-function” characterised by a special singular solution near the crack edge. The two-term asymptotic representation for the weight function components is required by the asymptotic algorithm, together with two-term asymptotics for stress components associated with the physical fields near the edge of the crack. The particular feature of the solution is the coupling between the normal opening mode (Mode-I), and the shear modes (Mode-II and Mode-III), and the oscillatory behaviour of certain stress components near the crack edge. Explicit asymptotic formulae for the stress-intensity factors are obtained at the edge of a “wavy crack” at an interface.