Derivatives of the energy functional for 2D‐problems with a crack under Signorini and friction conditions

We consider the two‐dimensional elasticity problem for an elastic body with a crack under unilateral constraints imposed at the crack. We assume that both the Signorini condition for non‐penetration of the crack faces and the condition of given friction between them are fulfilled. The problem is non‐linear and can be described by a variational inequality. Varying the shape of the crack by a local coordinate transformation of the domain, the first derivative of the energy functional to the problem with respect to the crack length is obtained, which gives the criterion for the crack growing. The regularity of the solution is discussed and the singular solution is performed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the peculiarities of a crack growth path in anisotropic solid

One of the possibilities to increase the resistance of a structure to catastrophic fracture is to force a main line crack to deviate from its path. In this connection the influence of the elastic moduli of an anisotropic material on the possibilities of crack rotation are studied. In particular a linear elastic problem for a straight Mode I crack, located on a symmetry axis of an orthotropic plane is considered. The strength properties of the material are supposed to be isotropic. For studying a direction of a crack growth path several crack models are considered. It is shown that a thin elongated elliptical hole as a crack model leads to more plausible results concerning crack rotation conditions than an ideal cut model. The maximal tensile stresses are taken as a crack growth criterion. It is shown that for some class of orthotropic materials a crack deviates from the straight path just after it starts to grow even in the conditions of uniaxial normal tension. The problem of the stability of a straight crack path under Mode I loading is also considered. This problem is reduced to the problem of the fracture direction determination for thin elongated elliptical cavity slightly inclined to the initial direction. In the frame of the proposed approach the conditions of instability are obtained. It is shown that for some class of orthotropic materials a straight crack path is unstable in the conditions of uniaxial normal tension. This class of materials is wider than one for which a crack deviates from the straight crack path just after its start. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical simulation of the non‐linear crack problem with non‐penetration

Here the numerical simulation of some plane Lamé problem with a rectilinear crack under non‐penetration condition is presented. The corresponding solids are assumed to be isotropic and homogeneous as well as bonded. The non‐linear crack problem is formulated as a variational inequality. We use penalty iteration and the finite‐element method to calculate numerically its approximate solution. Applying analytic formulas obtained from shape sensitivity analysis, we calculate then energetic and stress characteristics of the solution, and describe the quasistatic propagation of the crack under linear loading. The results are presented in comparison with the classical, linear crack problem, when interpenetration between the crack faces may occur. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Limit equilibrium of a body with a disk-shaped almost planar crack

The article deals with the spatial problem of the limit equilibrium of an isotropic elastic body weakened by a three-dimensional crack with an almost planar surface. At infinity the body is subjected to tensile constant forces of intensity p. With the small parameter method this problem is reduced to a series of problems for a body with a disk-shaped crack. The dependence of the critical load on the magnitude of the deviation of the crack surface from planeness is obtained.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Prikladnaya Mekhanika, No. 20, pp. 21–25, 1989.     

Optimal control of the layer size in the problem of equilibrium of elastic bodies with overlapping domains

We consider the problem of equilibrium of a two-layer elastic body. The first of the layers contains a crack,while the second is a circle centered at one of the crack tips. The round layer is glued by its boundary to the first layer. The unique solvability is proved for this problem in the nonlinear formulation. An optimal control problem is also considered. The radius a of the second layer is chosen as a varying parameter under assumption that a takes positive values from a closed interval. It is shown that there are a value of a minimizing the functional that characterizes how potential energy depends on the crack length and a value of a minimizing the functional that characterizes the opening of the crack.     

On elastic bodies with thin rigid inclusions and cracks

This paper is concerned with the analysis of equilibrium problems for two‐dimensional elastic bodies with thin rigid inclusions and cracks. Inequality‐type boundary conditions are imposed at the crack faces providing a mutual non‐penetration between the crack faces. A rigid inclusion may have a delamination, thus forming a crack with non‐penetration between the opposite faces. We analyze variational and differential problem formulations. Different geometrical situations are considered, in particular, a crack may be parallel to the inclusion as well as the crack may cross the inclusion, and also a deviation of the crack from the rigid inclusion is considered. We obtain a formula for the derivative of the energy functional with respect to the crack length for considering this derivative as a cost functional. An optimal control problem is analyzed to control the crack growth. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An eigenvalue problem for elastic cracks in free space

We study in this paper an eigenvalue problem for the linear elasticity equations in three‐dimensional space. The problem is defined in the whole space cut by a planar crack. The eigenvalue appears in a linear condition relating the traction to the jump in displacements across the crack. We prove for such problems that an eigenspace containing eigenfunctions, which do not average to zero over the crack is in general not simple. Then we prove for a more constrained eigenvalue problem, where the direction of slip over the crack is imposed, that the first eigenspace is in that case simple. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Problem of an elastic half-plane with a crack emerging orthogonally at the boundary

The problem of the half-plane, in which a finite crack emerges orthogonally at the boundary, is studied. On the edges of the crack a self-balancing load is applied. A detailed investigation is carried out for an integral equation with respect to the unknown derivative of the displacement jump, to which the problem can be reduced. The exact solution of the integral equation is constructed with the aid of the Mellin transform and the Riemann boundary value problem for the halfplane. The asymptotic behavior of the solution at both ends of the crack is elucidated. First the asymptotic behavior of the solution at the point of emergence of the crack is obtained and the dependence of this asymptotic behavior on the type of the load is established. For a special form of the load one obtains a simple expression of the stress intensity coefficient. In the case of a general load, the asymptotic behavior is used for the construction of an effective approximate solution on the basis of the method of orthogonal polynomials. As a result, the problem reduces to an infinite algebraic system, solvable by the reduction method.Translated from Dinamicheskie Sistemy, No. 4, pp. 45–51, 1985.     

A boundary element analysis for stress intensity factors of multiple circular arc cracks in a plane elasticity plate

In this paper, a numerical approach for analyzing interacting multiple cracks in infinite linear elastic media is presented. By extending Bueckner’s principle suited for a crack to a general system containing multiple interacting cracks, the original problem is divided into a homogeneous problem (the one without cracks) subjected to remote loads and a multiple crack problem in an unloaded body with applied tractions on the crack surfaces. Thus, the results in terms of the stress intensity factors (SIFs) can be obtained by considering the latter problem, which is analyzed easily by means of the displacement discontinuity method with crack-tip elements proposed recently by the author. Test examples are given to illustrate that the numerical approach is very accurate for analyzing interacting multiple cracks in an infinite linear elastic media under remote uniform stresses. In addition, the displacement discontinuity method with crack-tip elements is used to analyze a multiple crack problem in a finite plate. It is found that the boundary element method is also very accurate for investigating interacting multiple cracks in a finite plate. Specially, a generalization of Bueckner’s principle and the displacement discontinuity method with crack-tip elements are used to analyze multiple circular arc crack problems in infinite plate in tension (including: Two Collinear Circular Arc Cracks, Three Collinear Circular Arc Cracks, Two Parallel Circular Arc Cracks, Three Parallel Circular Arc Cracks and Two Circular Arc Cracks) in a plane elasticity plate. Many results are given.     

含圆形孔口和水平直裂纹的平面问题的应力分析

利用复变函数方法和积分方程理论研究了既含有圆形孔口又含有水平裂纹的无限大平面的平面弹性问题,将复杂的解析函数的边值问题化成了求解只在裂纹上的奇异积分方程的问题.此外,还给出了裂纹尖端附近的应力场和应力强度因子的公式.     

Mixed antiplane boundary‐value problem for a piecewise‐homogeneous elastic body with a semi‐infinite interfacial crack

Antiplane stress state of a piecewise‐homogeneous elastic body with a semi‐infinite crack along the interface is considered. The longitudinal displacements along one of the crack edges on a finite interval, adjacent to the crack tip, are known. Shear stresses are applied to the body along the crack edges and at infinity. The problem reduces to a Riemann–Hilbert boundary‐value matrix problem with a piecewise‐constant coefficient for a complex potential in the class of symmetric functions. The complex potential is found explicitly using a Gaussian hypergeometric function. The stress state of the body close to the singular points is investigated. The stress intensity factors are determined. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variational Phase Field Modeling of Fracture Caused by Fluid Transport in Poroelastic Solids

The numerical modeling of failure mechanisms due to fracture based on sharp crack discontinuities is extremely demanding and suffers in situations with complex crack topologies. This drawback can be overcome by recently developed diffusive crack modeling concepts, which are based on the introduction of a crack phase field. Such an approach is conceptually in line with gradient-extended continuum damage models which include internal length scales. In this paper, we extend our recently outlined mechanical framework [1–3] towards the phase field modeling of fracture in the coupled problem of fluid transport in deforming porous media. Here, extremely complex crack patterns may occur due to drying or hydraulic induced fracture, the so called fracking. We develop new variational potentials for Biot-type fluid transport in porous media at finite deformations coupled with phase field fracture. It is shown, that this complex coupled multi-field problem is related to an intrinsic mixed variational principle for the evolution problem. This principle determines the rates of deformation, fracture phase field and fluid content along with the fluid potential. We develop a robust computational implementation of the coupled problem based on the potentials mentioned above and demonstrate its performance by the numerical simulation of complex fracture patterns. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An axisymmetric problem of an embedded mixed-mode crack in a functionally graded magnetoelectroelastic infinite medium

This paper investigates the problem of an axisymmetric penny shaped crack embedded in an infinite functionally graded magneto electro elastic medium. The loading consists of magnetoelectromechanical loads applied on the crack surfaces assumed to be magneto electrically impermeable. The material’s gradient is parallel to the axisymmetric direction and is perpendicular to the crack plane. An anisotropic constitutive law is adopted to model the material behavior. The governing equations are converted analytically using Hankel transform into coupled singular integral equations, which are solved numerically to yield the crack tip stress, electric displacement and magnetic induction intensity factors. A similar problem but with a different crack morphology, that is a plane crack embedded in an infinite functionally graded magneto electro elastic medium, was considered by the authors in a previous work (Rekik et al., 2012) [25]. While the overall solution schemes look similar, the axisymmetric problem resulted in more mathematical complexities and let to different conclusions with respect to the influence of coupling between elastic, electric and magnetic effects. The main focus of this paper is to study the effect of material non-homogeneity on the fields’ intensity factors to understand further the behavior of graded magnetoelectroelastic materials containing penny shaped cracks and to inspect the effect of varying the crack geometry.     

Analysis of arbitrarily shaped planar cracks in two-dimensional hexagonal quasicrystals with thermal effects. Part II: Numerical solutions

The extended displacement discontinuity (EDD) boundary element method is developed to analyze an arbitrarily shaped planar crack in two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal quasicrystals (QCs) with thermal effects. The EDDs include the phonon and phason displacement discontinuities and the temperature discontinuity on the crack face. Green's functions for uniformly distributed EDDs over triangular and rectangular elements for 2D hexagonal QCs are derived. Employing the proposed EDD boundary element method, a rectangular crack is analyzed to verify the Green's functions by discretizing the crack with rectangular and triangular elements. Furthermore, the elliptical crack problem for 2D hexagonal QCs is investigated. Normal, tangential, and thermal loads are applied on the crack face, and the numerical results are presented graphically.     

Wedging of an elastic wedge by a rigid plate under conditions of contact with detaching

We consider a problem of wedging of an elastic wedge by a rigid plate along an edge crack that is located on the axis of symmetry of the wedge and reaches its vertex. The detachment of the crack faces from the surfaces of the plate is taken into account. Using the Wiener–Hopf method, we obtain an analytic solution of the problem. The size of the detachment zone, the stress intensity factor, the distribution of stresses on the line of continuation of the crack and in the contact domain, and circular displacements of the crack faces are determined.     

Controlling the shape of a crack in an elastic body under the condition of a possible contact of edges

Under consideration is a homogeneous three-dimensional body with a crack in the form of a smooth surface. We impose some inequality constraints on the crack edges that describe their mutual nonpenetration. According to the Griffith criterion, the crack begins to propagate when the derivative of the energy functional with respect to the virtual increment of the crack surface area reaches a certain critical value. The value of this derivative depends, in particular, on the crack shape. The crack shape is determined that minimizes the value of the derivative of the energy functional; more precisely, the existence of a solution to the corresponding optimal control problem is proved.     

Multiple crack fatigue growth modeling by displacement discontinuity method with crack-tip elements

This paper presents a numerical approach for modeling multiple crack fatigue growth in a plane elastic infinite plate. It involves a generation of Bueckner’s principle, a displacement discontinuity method with crack-tip elements (a boundary element method) proposed recently by the author and an extension of Paris’ law to a multiple crack problem under mixed-mode loading. Because of an intrinsic feature of the boundary element method, a general multiple crack growth problem can be solved in a single-region formulation. In the numerical simulation, for each increment of crack extension, remeshing of existing boundaries is not necessary. Crack extension is conveniently modeled by adding new boundary elements on the incremental crack extension to the previous crack boundaries. Fatigue growth modeling of an inclined crack in an infinite plate under biaxial cyclic loads is taken into account to illustrate the effectiveness of the present numerical approach. As an example, the present numerical approach is used to study the fatigue growth of three parallel cracks with same length under uniaxial cyclic load. Many numerical results are given.     

Elastodynamic Problem of an Interface Linear Crack under Harmonic Loading

The present work is devoted to application of boundary integral equations to the 2D problem for a linear crack located on the bimaterial interface under harmonic loading. The system of linear algebraic equations is derived to solve the problem numerically. The distribution of the displacements and tractions at the bonding interface and the surface of the crack are obtained for the case of the tension–compression wave which propagates normally to the interface. The results are compared with those obtained for the static case. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)