The energy release rate for linear viscoelastic materials

For viscoelastic materials, the energy release rate is a fairly important parameter for determining whether the crack extends, but so far its meaning for viscoelastic materials is not yet clear enough. In this paper, the thermodynamic mechanical theory is used to derive the local and global energy release rate of viscoelastic materials when constitutive equations are given. Moreover, the method of deriving the viscoelastic energy release rate is discussed. The relation between the energy release rate and internal energy, Helmholz free energy is described. The equivalence between the local and global energy release rates is also proved after some doubts in previous papers are dispelled, although the upshot is not original. Furthermore, the concrete forms of the energy release rate for anisotropic, orthotropic and isotropic viscoelastic media are presented. The forms of the local and global energy release rates in the failure zone are discussed and the difference between the equation presented here and the one given in previous papers is pointed out.     

Strain energy density bounds for linear anisotropic elastic materials

Upper and lower bounds are presented for the magnitude of the strain energy density in linear anisotropic elastic materials. One set of bounds is given in terms of the magnitude of the stress field, another in terms of the magnitude of the strain field. Explicit algebraic formulas are given for the bounds in the case of cubic, transversely isotropic, hexagonal and tetragonal symmetry. In the case of orthotropic symmetry the explicit bounds depend upon the solution of a cubic equation, and in the case of the monoclinic and triclinic symmetries, on the solution of sixth order equations.     

Crack energy density and energy release rate for piezoelectric material

In this work, the concept of crack energy density (CED) was extended so as to be applied to piezoelectric material and its fundamental matters and properties were studied, and taking the knowledge about it into consideration, energy release rate for the material was newly derived. The definitions of CED, its mechanical and electrical contribution are given first and their path independent expressions are derived through the electromechanical energy conservation law. Subsequently, the loading path dependence of mechanical and electrical CEDs is discussed in detail. Some supplementary quantities related to CED and energy release rate are also defined and their path independent expressions are given. Energy release rate is derived through two opposite limit procedures, and the relations between energy release rate and other parameters are elicited through the discussions based on the fundamental properties of energy release rate.     

Measurement of energy release rates for delaminations in composite materials

Conventional measurements of energy release rates,G _I andG _II, for delaminations in composite materials, generally utilize loads, crack lengths and simple standard specimen geometries. In this work, a more widely applicable measurement method, using phase shifting moiré and the J integral, is presented. The experimental technique described requires only fringe-pattern information and the elastic constants for the measurements—thus it can be used when the standard methods are inapplicable. Using conventional double-cantilever beam and end-notched flexure specimens, the energy release rate has been measured simultaneously by the moiré method and the standard methods, with good agreement found between the two. This development will for the first time permit the experimental validation of new finite-element routines as they are developed.Paper was presented at the 1993 SEM Spring Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in Dearborn, MI on June 7–9.     

Strain energy release rate for interfacial cracks in hybrid beams

The finite element modeling and fracture mechanics concept were used to study the interfacial fracture of a FRP-concrete hybrid structure. The strain energy release rate of the interfacial crack was calculated by the virtual crack extension method. It is shown that the crack growth has three phases, namely, cracking initiation, stable crack growth and unstable crack propagation. The effects of geometric and physical parameters of the hybrid beam on the energy release rate were considered. These parameters include Young’s moduli of the FRP, the concrete and the adhesive, thickness of the FRP plate and adhesive, and the distance of FRP plate end from the beam end. The numerical results show that the energy release rate of the interfacial crack is influenced considerably by these parameters. The present investigation can contribute to the mechanism understanding and engineering design of the hybrid structures.     

Self-similar law of energy release before materials fracture

A general law of energy release is derived for stressed heterogeneous materials, being valid from the starting moment of loading till the moment of materials fracture. This law is obtained by employing the extrapolation technique of the self-similar approximation theory. Experiments are accomplished measuring the energy release for industrial composite samples. The derived analytical law is confronted with these experimental data as well as with the known experimental data for other materials.     

Anomalies associated with energy release parameters for cracks in piezoelectric materials

For a central crack in a piezoelectric plate, the mode-I stress intensity factor (K_I), electric displacement intensity factor (K_D), energy release rates (G, G_M) and energy density factor (S) are obtained from the finite element results. For the impermeable crack, the numerical results of K_I and K_D are coupled; this error is contrary to the uncoupled analytical solutions. The error has little effect on the total energy release rate G and energy density factor S, but in some cases, large errors in the mechanical energy release rate G_M are observed. G is global while SED is local. Also G is negative which defies physics where energy cannot be created while crack attempts to extend as implied by G. Computations should be made for the J-integral and also show that J becomes negative. What this shows is that the global fracture energy criterion is not suitable to address the local release of energy because it includes the overall energy which are irrelevant to fracture initiation being a local behavior. In addition, the case study shows that the energy density theory is the better fracture criterion for the piezoelectric material. According to the results of S, it retards the crack growth when the external electric field and piezoelectric poling are on opposite directions. This conclusion agrees with analytical and experimental evidence in the past references.     

Energy release rate of small cracks in hyperelastic materials

The energy release rate of a small crack in an infinite hyperelastic medium, and subjected to large strain multiaxial loading conditions, is derived by considering the balance of configurational stresses acting on two planes: one cutting the center of the crack face, and the other at an infinite distance in front of the crack tip. The analysis establishes that the energy release rate of a small crack is always proportional to the size of the crack, irrespective of the loading conditions and the crack orientation. The balance of configurational stresses is illustrated for several benchmark cases including simple extension, pure shear and equibiaxial extension, and for perpendicular and inclined cracks.     

On consistent micromechanical estimation of macroscopic elastic energy,coherence energy and phase transformation strains for SMA materials

An apparatus of micromechanics is used to isolate the key ingredients entering macroscopic Gibbs free energy function of a shape memory alloy (SMA) material. A new self-equilibrated eigenstrains influence moduli (SEIM) method is developed for consistent estimation of effective (macroscopic) thermostatic properties of solid materials, which in microscale can be regarded as amalgams of n-phase linear thermoelastic component materials with eigenstrains. The SEIM satisfy the self-consistency conditions, following from elastic reciprocity (Betti) theorem. The method allowed expressing macroscopic coherency energy and elastic complementary energy terms present in the general form of macroscopic Gibbs free energy of SMA materials in the form of semilinear and semiquadratic functions of the phase composition. Consistent SEIM estimates of elastic complementary energy, coherency energy and phase transformation strains corresponding to classical Reuss and Voigt conjectures are explicitly specified. The Voigt explicit relations served as inspiration for working out an original engineering practice-oriented semiexperimental SEIM estimates. They are especially conveniently applicable for an isotropic aggregate (composite) composed of a mixture of n isotropic phases. Using experimental data for NiTi alloy and adopting conjecture that it can be treated as an isotropic aggregate of two isotropic phases, it is shown that the NiTi coherency energy and macroscopic phase strain are practically not influenced by the difference in values of austenite and martensite elastic constants. It is shown that existence of nonzero fluctuating part of phase microeigenstrains field is responsible for building up of so-called stored energy of coherency, which is accumulated in pure martensitic phase after full completion of phase transition. Experimental data for NiTi alloy show that the stored coherency energy cannot be neglected as it considerably influences the characteristic phase transition temperatures of SMA material.     

The Attainable Region of strain-invariant space for elastic materials

Within the theory of isothermal isotropic non-linear elasticity, the selection of the appropriate form for the strain energy function W in terms of the strain invariants is still an issue. The purpose of this paper is to introduce ideas and techniques which it is hoped will contribute to the task of finding an appropriate form for the strain energy. Three principal ideas are developed in this paper. Firstly, not all of invariant-space corresponds to real deformations. Constitutive equations only need to match real behaviour over a restricted part of invariant space, called the Attainable Region, bounded by states of deformation corresponding to uniaxial and equi-biaxial extension. Secondly, examples are given of how to exploit the fact that the Attainable Region is restricted. Mapping a deformation onto this region allows visualization of how close the deformation is to the well-understood uniaxial, equi-biaxial and simple shear deformations, and how this varies in space or time. Thirdly, acceptable strain invariants do not have to be obviously symmetric functions of the principal stretches. The ordered principal stretches are themselves invariants, and explicit unique algebraic expressions can be given through which the greatest, middle or least stretch can be calculated in terms of the usual invariants. Thus invariants can be chosen which are apparently non-symmetric functions of the ordered stretches.     

Comparison of energy release rate and minimum strain energy density for potential failure of composite with bi-material interface

An analytical method is developed to describe the fields of stress and displacement in a bi-material strip specimen with an edge interfacial crack. All of the basic governing equations, boundary conditions on crack surfaces and conditions of continuity along the interface are satisfied by the eigenfunction expansion method. The other boundary conditions are satisfied by the generalized variational principle. The stress intensity factors are calculated for determining the energy release rate and minimum strain energy density factor S_min that is used the strain energy density criterion. Problems with oscillatory singularity and contact zone are discussed. Not only the effects of bi-material modulus ratio, thickness ratio, Poisson's ratio and crack length to S_min, but also the influences of bi-material modulus ratio, thickness ratio to phase angle are presented. Among these parameters, particular situations where S_min become jeopardously high and lead to failure are discussed.     

Analysis of energy release rate for composite delaminated cylindrical shells subjected to axial compression

In this paper, the postbuckling governing equations and the analytical expression of the energy release rates associated with delamination growth in a compression-loaded cylindrical shell are derived by using the variational principle of moving boundary and the Griffith fracture criterion. The finite difference method is used to generate the postbuckling solutions of the delaminated cylindrical shells, and with these solutions, the values of the energy release rates are determined. In simulational examples, the effects of a wide range of parameters, such as delamination sizes and depths, boundary conditions, geometrical parameters, material properties and laminate stacking sequences on the energy release rates of axisymmetrical laminated cylindrical shells are intensively discussed.The English text was polished by Yunming Chen.     

Some results for generalized neo-Hookean elastic materials

Several deformations of non-linear elastic materials are used to study the implications of the strain energy density function being dependent only on the first strain invariant. Two kinds of results are obtained, those that compare responses with and without dependence on the second invariant, and those specific to materials whose strain energy functions depend only on the first strain invariant. The deformations are (i) homogenous biaxial extension, (ii) shear superposed on triaxial extension, (iii) inflation of a circular membrane, (iv) circular shear superimposed on a press fit cylinder, (v) torsion of a circular cylinder.     

Saint-Venant's principle for linear elastic porous materials

Toupin's version of the Saint-Venant's principle in linear elasticity is generalized to the case of linear elastic porous materials. That is, it is shown that, for a straight prismatic bar made of a linear elastic material with voids and loaded by a self-equilibrated system of forces at one end only, the internal energy stored in the portion of the bar which is beyond a distance s from the loaded end decreases exponentially with the distance s.