Asymptotic fields in steady crack growth with linear strain-hardening

The asymptotic stress and velocity fields of a crack propagating steadily and quasi-statically into an elastic-plastic material are presented. The material is characterized by J₂-flow theory with linear strain- hardening. The possibility of reloading on the crack flanks is taken into account. The cases of anti-plane strain (mode III), plane strain (modes I and II), and plane stress (modes I and II) are considered. Numerical results are given for the strength of the singularity and for the distribution of the stress and velocity fields in the plastic loading, elastic unloading and plastic reloading regions, as functions of the strain-hardening parameter. An attempt is made to make a connection with the perfectly-plastic solutions in the limit of vanishing strain-hardening.     

Crack-tip fields for fast fracture of an elastic-plastic material

An asymptotic analysis of the near-tip fields is given for transient crack propagation in an elastic-plastic material. The material is characterized by J₂ flow theory together with a bilinear effective stress-strain curve. Both plane stress and plane strain conditions have been considered. Explicit results are given for the order of the crack-tip singularity, the angular position at which unloading occurs, and the angular variation of the near-tip stresses, all as functions of the crack-tip speed and the ratio of the slopes of the two portions of the bilinear stress-strain relation. It was found that the results are much more sensitive to the elastic-plastic constitutive relation than to the crack speed. This result is important for numerical analyses of dynamic crack propagation problems.     

Asymptotic crack-tip fields for dynamic crack growth in compressive power-law hardening materials

The effect of material compressibility on the stress and strain fields for a mode-I crack propagating steadily in a power-law hardening material is investigated under plane strain conditions. The plastic deformation of materials is characterized by the J₂ flow theory within the framework of isotropic hardening and infinitesimal displacement gradient. The asymptotic solutions developed by the present authors [Zhu, X.K., Hwang K.C., 2002. Dynamic crack-tip field for tensile cracks propagating in power-law hardening materials. International Journal of Fracture 115, 323–342] for incompressible hardening materials are extended in this work to the compressible hardening materials. The results show that all stresses, strains, and particle velocities in the asymptotic fields are fully continuous and bounded without elastic unloading near the dynamic crack tip. The stress field contains two free parameters σ_eq0 and s₃₃₀ that cannot be determined in the asymptotic analysis, and can be determined from the full-field solutions. For the given values of σ_eq0 and s₃₃₀, all field quantities around the crack tip are determined through numerical integration, and then the effects of the hardening exponent n, the Poisson ratio ν, and the crack growth speed M on the asymptotic fields are studied. The approximate behaviors of the proposed solutions are discussed in the limit of ν → 0.5 or n → ∞.     

On Pressurized Curvilinearly Orthotropic Circular Disk, Cylinder and Sphere Made of Radially Nonuniform Material

A unified analysis is presented for the elastic response of a pressurized cylindrically anisotropic hollow disk under assumed conditions of plane stress, or a hollow cylinder under plane strain conditions, and a spherically anisotropic hollow sphere, made of material which is nonuniform in the radial direction according to the power law relationship. The solution for a cylinder under generalized plane strain is also presented. Two parameters play a prominent role in the analysis: the material nonuniformity parameter m, and the parameter ?? which accounts for the combined effects of material anisotropy, represented by the specified parameters (??, ??, ??), and material nonuniformity, represented by the parameter m. The radial and circumferential stresses are the linear combinations of two power functions of the radial coordinate, whose exponents (n ₁ and n ₂) depend on the parameters m and ??. New light is added to the stress amplification and shielding under combined effects of curvilinear anisotropy and radial nonuniformity. Different loading combinations are considered, including the equal pressure at both boundaries, and the uniform pressure at the inner or the outer boundary. While the stress state for the equal pressure loading is uniform in the case of isotropic uniform material (m=0, ??=1), and for one particular radially nonuniform and anisotropic material, it is strongly nonuniform for a general anisotropic or nonuniform material. If the aspect ratio of the inner and outer radii decreases (small hole in a large disk/cylinder or sphere), the magnitude of the circumferential stress at the inner radius increases for n ₁>0 (stress amplification), and decreases for n ₁<0 (stress shielding). Both can be achieved by various combinations of the material parameters m, ??, ??, and ??. While the stress amplification in the case of a pressurized external boundary occurs readily, it occurs only exceptionally in the case of a pressurized internal boundary. The effects of material parameters on the displacement response are also analyzed. The approximate character of the plane stress solution of a pressurized thin disk is discussed and the results are compared with those obtained by numerical solution of the exact three-dimensional disk model.     

Crack growth under plane stress conditions in an elastic perfectly-plastic material

Mode-I crack growth under conditions of generalized plane stress has been investigated. It has been assumed that near the plane of the crack in the loading zone, the simple stress components corresponding to a central fan field maintain validity up to the elastic-plastic boundary. By the use of expansions of the particle velocities in the coordinate y, and by matching of the relevant stress components and particle velocities to the dominant terms of appropriate elastic fields at the elastic-plastic boundary, a complete solution has been obtained for ε_y in the plane of the crack. The solution applies from the propagating crack tip up to the moving elastic-plastic boundary. The strain fields for a self-similar crack nucleating at a point and for steady-state propagation of a crack have been considered as special cases.     

Magneto elastic stress subjected to uniform magnetic field over a thin infinite plate containing an elliptical hole with an edge crack

Two dimensional solutions of the magnetic field and magneto elastic stress are presented for a magnetic material of a thin infinite plate containing an elliptical hole with an edge crack subjected to uniform magnetic field. Using a rational mapping function, each solution is obtained as a closed form. The linear constitutive equation is used for these analyses. According to the electro-magneto theory, only Maxwell stress is caused as a body force in a plate. In the present paper, it raises a plane stress state for a thin plate, the deformation of the plate thickness and the shear deflection. Therefore the magneto elastic stress is analyzed using Maxwell stress. No further assumption of the plane stress state that the plate is thin is made for the stress analysis, though Maxwell stress components are expressed by nonlinear terms. The rigorous boundary condition expressed by Maxwell stress components is completely satisfied without any linear assumptions on the boundary. First, magnetic field and stress analyses for soft ferromagnetic material are carried out and then those analyses for paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials are carried out. It is stated that those plane stress components are expressed by the same expressions for those materials and the difference is only the magnitude of the permeability, though the magnetic fields H_x, H_y are different each other in the plates. If the analysis of magnetic field of paramagnetic material is easier than that of soft ferromagnetic material, the stress analysis may be carried out using the magnetic field for paramagnetic material to analyze the stress field, and the results may be applied for a soft ferromagnetic material. It is stated that the stress state for the magnetic field H_x, H_y is the same as the pure shear stress state. Solutions of the magneto elastic stress are nonlinear for the direction of uniform magnetic field. Stresses in the direction of the plate thickness and shear deflection are caused and the solutions are also obtained. Figures of the magnetic field and stress distribution are shown. Stress intensity factors are also derived and investigated for the crack length.     

Analysis of dynamic growth of a tensile crack in an elastic-plastic material

The influence of inertia on the stress and deformation fields near the tip of a crack growing in an elastic-plastic material is studied. The material is characterized by the von Mises yield criterion and J₂ flow theory of plasticity. The crack grows steadily under plane strain conditions in the tensile opening mode. Features of the stress and deformation state at points near the moving crack tip are described for elastic-perfectly plastic response and for several crack propagation speeds. It is found that inertia has a significant effect on the elastic-plastic response of material particles near the crack tip, and that elastic unloading may occur behind the crack tip for higher speeds. The relationship between the applied crack driving force, represented by a remote stress intensity factor, and the crack tip speed is examined on the basis of a critical crack tip opening angle growth criterion. The calculated result is compared with dynamic fracture toughness versus crack speed data for a 4340 steel.     

Analyses of steady quasistatic crack growth in plane strain tension in elastic-plastic materials with non-isotropic hardening

Steady state crack propagation problems of elastic-plastic materials in Mode I, plane strain under small scale yielding conditions were investigated with the aid of the finite element method. The elastic-perfectly plastic solution shows that elastic unloading wedges subtended by the crack tip in the plastic wake region do exist and that the stress state around the crack tip is similar to the modified Prandtl fan solution. To demonstrate the effects of a vertex on the yield surface, the small strain version of a phenomenological J₂, corner theory of plasticity (Christoffersen, J. and Hutchinson, J. W. J. Mech. Phys. Solids,27, 465 C 1979) with a power law stress strain relation was used to govern the strain hardening of the material. The results are compared with the conventional J₂ incremental plasticity solution. To take account of Bauschinger like effects caused by the stress history near the crack tip, a simple kinematic hardening rule with a bilinear stress strain relation was also studied. The results are again compared with the smooth yield surface isotropic hardening solution for the same stress strain curve. There appears to be more potential for steady state crack growth in the conventional J₂ incremental plasticity material than in the other two plasticity laws considered here if a crack opening displacement fracture criterion is used. However, a fracture criterion dependent on both stress and strain could lead to a contrary prediction.     

Magnetic field and magneto elastic stress in an infinite plate containing an elliptical hole with an edge crack under uniform electric current

Two-dimensional solutions of the electric current, magnetic field and magneto elastic stress are presented for a magnetic material of a thin infinite plate containing an elliptical hole with an edge crack under uniform electric current. Using a rational mapping function, the each solution is obtained as a closed form. The linear constitutive equation is used for the magnetic field and the stress analyses. According to the electro-magneto theory, only Maxwell stress is caused as a body force in a plate which raises a plane stress state for a thin plate and the deformation of the plate thickness. Therefore the magneto elastic stress is analyzed using Maxwell stress. No further assumption of the plane stress state that the plate is thin is made for the stress analysis, though Maxwell stress components are expressed by nonlinear terms. The rigorous boundary condition expressed by Maxwell stress components is completely satisfied without any linear assumptions on the boundary. First, electric current, magnetic field and stress analyses for soft ferromagnetic material are carried out and then those analyses for paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials are carried out. It is stated that the stress components are expressed by the same expressions for those materials and the difference is only the magnitude of the permeability, though the magnetic fields H_x, H_y are different each other in the plates. If the analysis of magnetic field of paramagnetic material is easier than that of soft ferromagnetic material, the stress analysis may be carried out using the magnetic field for paramagnetic material to analyze the stress field, and the results may be applied for a soft ferromagnetic material. It is stated that the stress state for the magnetic field H_x, H_y is the same as the pure shear stress state. Solving the present magneto elastic stress problem, dislocation and rotation terms appear, which makes the present problem complicate. Solutions of the magneto elastic stress are nonlinear for the direction of electric current. Stresses in the direction of the plate thickness are caused and the solution is also obtained. Figures of the magnetic field and stress distribution are shown. Stress intensity factors are also derived and investigated for the crack length and the electric current direction.     

Mode I and mode II crack tip asymptotic fields with strain gradient effects

The strain gradient effect becomes significant when the size of fracture process zone around a crack tip is comparable to the intrinsic material lengthl, typically of the order of microns. Using the new strain gradient deformation theory given by Chen and Wang, the asymptotic fields near a crack tip in an elastic-plastic material with strain gradient effects are investigated. It is established that the dominant strain field is irrotational. For mode I plane stress crack tip asymptotic field, the stress asymptotic field and the couple stress asymptotic field can not exist simultaneously. In the stress dominated asymptotic field, the angular distributions of stresses are consistent with the classical plane stress HRR field; In the couple stress dominated asymptotic field, the angular distributions of couple stresses are consistent with that obtained by Huang et al. For mode II plane stress and plane strain crack tip asymptotic fields, only the stress-dominated asymptotic fields exist. The couple stress asymptotic field is less singular than the stress asymptotic fields. The stress asymptotic fields are the same as mode II plane stress and plane strain HRR fields, respectively. The increase in stresses is not observed in strain gradient plasticity for mode I and mode II, because the present theory is based only on the rotational gradient of deformation and the crack tip asymptotic fields are irrotational and dominated by the stretching gradient. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19704100), National Natural Science Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJ951-1-20), CAS K.C. Wong Post-doctoral Research Award Fund and Post-doctoral Science Fund of China     

Decoupled formulation of piezoelectric elasticity under generalized plane deformation and its application to wedge problems

This paper presents the formulation of piezoelectric elasticity under generalized plane deformation derived from the three-dimensional theory. There are four decoupled classes in the generalized plane deformation formulation, i.e. when l₃(μ)=l₂^*(μ)=0, l₃(μ)=l₃^*(μ)=0, l₃^*(μ)=l₂^*(μ)=0 or l₃(μ)=l₃^*(μ)=l₂^*(μ)=0. Only the inplane fields of the first class and the antiplane field of the second class include the piezoelectric effect. Several examples of wedge problem often encountered in smart structures, such as sensors or actuators are studied to examine the stress singularity near the apex of the structure. The bonded materials to the PZT-4 wedge are PZT-5, graphite/epoxy or aluminum (conductor). The influencing factors on the singular behavior of the electro-elastic fields include the wedge angle, material type, poling direction, and the boundary and interface conditions. The numerical results of the first case are compared with Xu's graphs and some comments are made in detail. In addition, some new results regarding the antiplane stress singularity of the second class are obtained via the case study. The coupled singularity solutions under generalized plane deformation are also investigated to seek the conditions of the weakest or vanishing singular stress fields.     

A stress analytical solution for Mode III crack within modified gradient elasticity

The strain gradient exists near a crack tip may significantly influence the near-tip stress field. In this paper, the strain gradient and the internal length scales are introduced into the basic equations of mode III crack by the modified gradient elasticity (MGE). By using a complex function approach, the analytical solution of stress fields for mode III crack problem is derived within MGE. When the internal length scales vanish, the stress fields can be simplified to the stress fields of classical linear elastic fracture mechanics. The results show that the singularity of the shear stress is made up of two parts, r^−1/2 part and r^−3/2 part, and the sign of the stress σ_yz changes. With the increase of l_x, the peak value of σ_yz decrease and its location moves farther from the fracture vertex. The influence of strain gradient for mode III crack problem cannot be ignored.     

Dynamic crack tip fields and dynamic crack propagation characteristics of anisotropic material

Based on mechanics of anisotropic material, the dynamic crack propagation problem of I/II mixed mode crack in an infinite anisotropic body is investigated. Expressions of dynamic stress intensity factors for modes I and II crack are obtained. Components of dynamic stress and dynamic displacements around the crack tip are derived. The strain energy density theory is used to predict the dynamic crack extension angle. The critical strain energy density is determined by the strength parameters of anisotropic materials. The obtained dynamic crack tip fields are unified and applicable to the analysis of the crack tip fields of anisotropic material, orthotropic material and isotropic material under dynamic or static load. The obtained results show Crack propagation characteristics are represented by the mechanical properties of anisotropic material, i.e., crack propagation velocity M and fiber direction α. In particular, the fiber direction α and the crack propagation velocity M give greater influence on the variations of the stress fields and displacement fields. Fracture angle is found to depend not only on the crack propagation but also on the anisotropic character of the material.     

Asymptotic fields around an interfacial crack with a cohesive zone ahead of the crack tip

This paper considers an interfacial crack with a cohesive zone ahead of the crack tip in a linearly elastic isotropic bi-material and derives the mixed-mode asymptotic stress and displacement fields around the crack and cohesive zone under plane deformation conditions (plane stress or plane strain). The field solution is obtained using elliptic coordinates and complex functions and can be represented in terms of a complete set of complex eigenfunction terms. The imaginary portion of the eigenvalues is characterized by a bi-material mismatch parameter ε = arctanh(β)/π, where β is a Dundurs parameter, and the resulting fields do not contain stress singularity. The behaviors of “Mode I” type and “Mode II” type fields based on dominant eigenfunction terms are discussed in detail. For completeness, the counterpart for the Mode III solution is included in an appendix.     

Role of elasticity in elastic–plastic fracture: Analytical bi-linear crack-tip fields and finite element analysis

A solution for Model-I plane strain crack tip fields in a bi-linear elastic–plastic material is presented. The elastic–plastic Poisson's ratio is introduced to characterize the influence of elastic deformation on the near tip constraint. Attention is focused on the distribution of elastic/plastic strain energy in the sensitive region of the forward sector ahead of a crack tip. The present study shows that the elastic strain energy can be higher than the plastic strain energy in this sensitive sector while large amount of the plastic strain energy develops outside this sector around the crack tip. The effect of elastic deformation in this sensitive region on the structure of crack-tip fields is considerable and the assumption in some important solutions for crack-tip fields reported in literature that the elastic deformation is small and can be ignored is therefore not physically reasonable. Besides, finite element analysis is carried out to validate the analytical solution and good agreement between them is found. It is seen that the present solution with T-stress can properly describe the crack-tip fields under various constraints for different specimens and an analytical relation is established between the critical value of J-integral, J_c, and T-stress for elastic–plastic fracture.     

Finite element solutions for plane strain mode I crack with strain gradient effects

In this paper, a new phenomenological theory with strain gradient effects is proposed to account for the size dependence of plastic deformation at micro- and submicro-length scales. The theory fits within the framework of general couple stress theory and three rotational degrees of freedom ω_i are introduced in addition to the conventional three translational degrees of freedom u_i. ω_i is called micro-rotation and is the sum of material rotation plus the particles' relative rotation. While the new theory is used to analyze the crack tip field or the indentation problems, the stretch gradient is considered through a new hardening law. The key features of the theory are that the rotation gradient influences the material character through the interaction between the Cauchy stresses and the couple stresses; the term of stretch gradient is represented as an internal variable to increase the tangent modulus. In fact the present new strain gradient theory is the combination of the strain gradient theory proposed by Chen and Wang (Int. J. Plast., in press) and the hardening law given by Chen and Wang (Acta Mater. 48 (2000a) 3997). In this paper we focus on the finite element method to investigate material fracture for an elastic-power law hardening solid. With remotely imposed classical K fields, the full field solutions are obtained numerically. It is found that the size of the strain gradient dominance zone is characterized by the intrinsic material length l₁. Outside the strain gradient dominance zone, the computed stress field tends to be a classical plasticity field and then K field. The singularity of stresses ahead of the crack tip is higher than that of the classical field and tends to the square root singularity, which has important consequences for crack growth in materials by decohesion at the atomic scale.     

On the transformation toughening of a crack along an interface between a shape memory alloy and an isotropic medium

In this study, a bilinear cohesive zone model is employed to describe the transformation toughening behavior of a slowly propagating crack along an interface between a shape memory alloy and a linear elastic or elasto-plastic isotropic material. Small scale transformation zones and plane strain conditions are assumed. The crack growth is numerically simulated within a finite element scheme and its transformation toughening is obtained by means of resistance curves. It is found that the choice of the cohesive strength t₀ and the stress intensity factor phase angle φ greatly influence the toughening behavior of the bimaterial. The presented methodology is generalized for the case of an interface crack between a fiber reinforced shape memory alloy composite and a linear elastic, isotropic material. The effect of the cohesive strength t₀, as well as the fiber volume fraction are examined.     

Effects of the strain-hardening exponent on two-parameter characterizations of surface-cracks under large-scale yielding

The influence of strain hardening exponent on two-parameter J-Q near tip opening stress field characterization with modified boundary layer formulation and the corresponding validity limits are explored in detail. Finite element simulations of surface cracked plates under uniaxial tension are implemented for loads exceeding net-section yield. The results from this study provide numerical methodology for limit analysis and demonstrate the strong material dependencies of fracture parameterization under large scale yielding. Sufficient strain hardening is shown to be necessary to maintain J-Q predicted fields when plastic flow progresses through the remaining ligament. Lower strain hardening amplifies constraint loss due to stress redistribution in the plastic zone and increases the ratio of tip deformation to J. The onset of plastic collapse is marked by shape change and/or rapid relaxation of tip fields compared to those predicted by MBL solutions and thus defining the limits of J-Q dominance. A radially independent Q-parameter cannot be evaluated for the low strain hardening material at larger deformations within a range where both cleavage and ductile fracture mechanisms are present. The geometric deformation limit of near tip stress field characterization is shown to be directly proportional to the level of stress the material is capable of carrying within the plastic zone. Accounting for the strain hardening of a material provides a more adjusted and less conservative limit methodology compared to those generalized by the yield strength alone. Results from this study are of relevance to establishing testing standards for surface cracked tensile geometries.     

An analysis on three-dimensional effects near the tip of a crack in an elastic plate

An infinite plate containing a finite through crack under tensile loading is analysed by Fourier transform based on the Kane-Mindlin kinematic assumptions for the quasi-three-dimensional deformation of plates in extension. The asymptotic expressions of stress and displacement fields near the crack tip, the variation of the stress intensity factor with the plate-thickness and the three-dimensional deformation zone near the crack tip are investigated. The results of the analysis show that, (a) the crack-tip stress and displacement fields accounting for the plate-thickness effects are different from the plane stress solutions and this is true even for extremely small parameter (=1–vh/6 a). In a very small region near the crack tip, plane strain solutions prevail; (b) the ratio of the stress intensity factor K_I to the corresponding plane stress one K_I, K_I/K _I ^o , approaches 1/(1–v²) as tends to zero; (c) plane stress solutions can give satisfactory results for points a distance from the crack tip greater than about three-fourths of the plate-thickness; (d) the linear elastic result for the zone of three-dimensional effects is approximately valid for an elasto-plastic material with linear strain-hardening when the plastic tangential mudulus E_t is not very small.The Project Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China.