Stress intensity factors for three-dimensional cracks in functionally graded materials using enriched finite elements

A three-dimensional enriched finite-element methodology is presented to compute stress intensity factors for three-dimensional cracks contained in functionally graded materials (FGMs). A general-purpose 3D finite-element based fracture analysis program, FRAC3D, is enhanced to include this capability. First, using available solutions from the literature, comparisons have been made in terms of stresses under different loading conditions, such as uniform tensile, bending and thermal loads. Mesh refinement studies are also performed. The fracture solutions are obtained for edge cracks in an FGM strip and surface cracks in a finite-thickness FGM plate and compared with existing solutions in the literature. Further analyses are performed to study the behavior of stress intensity factor near the free surface where crack front terminates. It is shown that three-dimensional enriched finite elements provide accurate and efficient fracture solutions for three-dimensional cracks contained in functionally graded materials.     

Mixed-mode fracture analysis of orthotropic functionally graded materials under mechanical and thermal loads

Mixed-mode fracture problems of orthotropic functionally graded materials (FGMs) are examined under mechanical and thermal loading conditions. In the case of mechanical loading, an embedded crack in an orthotropic FGM layer is considered. The crack is assumed to be loaded by arbitrary normal and shear tractions that are applied to its surfaces. An analytical solution based on the singular integral equations and a numerical approach based on the enriched finite elements are developed to evaluate the mixed-mode stress intensity factors and the energy release rate under the given mechanical loading conditions. The use of this dual approach methodology allowed the verifications of both methods leading to a highly accurate numerical predictive capability to assess the effects of material orthotropy and nonhomogeneity constants on the crack tip parameters. In the case of thermal loading, the response of periodic cracks in an orthotropic FGM layer subjected to transient thermal stresses is examined by means of the developed enriched finite element method. The results presented for the thermally loaded layer illustrate the influences of the material property gradation profiles and crack periodicity on the transient fracture mechanics parameters.     

Three-dimensional fracture analysis using tetrahedral enriched elements and fully unstructured mesh

In the absence of automated and customized methods and tools, some of today’s existing methods for solving three-dimensional fracture problems require comprehensive finite element meshing, labor-intensive analysis and post-processing efforts. In this study, a tetrahedral enriched element method and related applications are presented that demonstrate employment of fully unstructured tetrahedral meshes for general mixed-mode three-dimensional fracture problems. As in the case of hexahedral enriched elements, the tetrahedral enriched elements also alleviate the needs of pre- and post-processing the finite element model, allowing direct computation of stress intensity factors in the solution phase. In addition, when tetrahedral enriched elements are used, the crack front region can also be meshed using unstructured elements allowing direct use of automatic free-meshing programs. The applications presented are plane-strain central crack problem, mode-I surface crack in a plate, inclined penny-shaped crack, edge-cracked bar under constant heat flux and lens-shaped crack embedded in a large elastic body. The results obtained are in good comparative agreement with those available in the literature. Thus, it is concluded that the enriched tetrahedral elements can be applied efficiently and accurately on a general three-dimensional fracture problem allowing usage of fully unstructured finite element meshes.     

Numerical plane stress elastic–perfectly plastic crack analysis under Tresca yield condition with comparison to Dugdale plastic strip model

A number of plane stress numerical analyses of the mode I elastoplastic fracture mechanics problem have been performed in the past using the Huber–Mises yield criterion. This study employs instead the Tresca yield condition using an incremental theory of plasticity for a stationary crack. A commercial finite element program is used to solve the opening mode of fracture problem (mode I) for a square plate containing a central crack under generalized plane stress loading conditions. A biaxial uniform tensile traction is applied to the edges of a thin plate composed of a linear elastic non-work hardening material under small strain assumptions. The finite element results are compared with the analytical predictions of the Dugdale plastic strip model for a crack in an infinite plate subject to a biaxial uniform load at infinity.     

Crack insertion,meshing and fracture analysis of structures using tetrahedral finite elements

In this study, a method and corresponding tools are presented to insert a three-dimensional crack of a given size and location into a finite element model without any cracks using fully unstructured finite elements. For research purposes, publicly available two and three-dimensional meshing software, Triangle^© and Tetgen^©, are utilized and integrated with an in-house developed program to compatibly select and re-mesh the three-dimensional crack region of the original input model. Within the procedure, the boundary conditions and loads existing on the original model are also book kept and transferred to the new model containing the crack. Next, the new finite element model, which now contains the crack geometry, the loads and boundary conditions, is solved in a general-purpose finite element program employing enriched elements. The above procedure is demonstrated on a series of surface crack problems in finite-thickness plates including mixed-mode fracture conditions. The obtained results are compared to well-known solutions available in the literature. These comparisons showed good agreement for all cases analyzed. It is, therefore, concluded that the procedure developed is valid, efficient and yields accurate three-dimensional fracture solutions.     

Boundary element analysis of crack problems in functionally graded materials

The present study examines the crack problems in a functionally graded material (FGM) whose upper and bottom surfaces are fully bonded with dissimilar homogeneous materials. A so-called generalized Kelvin solution based boundary element method is used in the numerical examination. The multi-region method and the eight-node traction-singular boundary elements are used for the crack evaluation. The layer discretization technique is utilized to approximate the depth material non-homogeneity of the FGM layer. The proposed method can deal with any depth variations in both the shear modulus and the Poisson ratio of the FGMs. Results of the present analysis are compared very well with the exact analytical solutions available in the literature, which demonstrates that the proposed method can accurately evaluate the stress intensity factors (SIFs) for cracks in FGMs. The paper further evaluates the effect of the functionally graded variations in the Poisson ratio on the stress intensity factors. The paper also assesses the elliptical cracks in the FGM system. The paper presents the influence of both the non-homogeneity and the thickness of the FGM layer on the three SIFs associated with the elliptical cracks.     

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.     

Parameters controlling fracture resistance in functionally graded materials under mode I loading

In this investigation the fracture behavior of functionally graded materials (FGMs) was studied by means of experiments carried out on model polymer-based FGMs. Model graded materials were manufactured by selective ultraviolet irradiation of ECO [poly(ethylene carbon monoxide)], a photo-sensitive ductile copolymer that becomes more brittle and stiffer under exposure to ultraviolet light. The mechanical response of the graded material was characterized using uniaxial tensile tests. Single edge notched tension graded ECO specimens possessing different spatial variations of Young’s modulus, failure stress and failure strain were tested under remote opening loading. A full-field digital image correlation technique was used to measure in real-time the displacement field around the crack tip while it propagated through the graded material. The measured displacement field was then used to extract fracture parameters such as stress intensity factor and T-stress, and thus construct resistance curves for crack growth in the FGMs. For this loading configuration it was found that the nonsingular T-stress term in the asymptotic expansion for stresses needs to be accounted for in order to accurately measure the fracture resistance in FGMs. In addition, the influence of local failure properties (i.e., failure stress and failure strain) on crack growth resistance was investigated in detail. It was found that depending on the combined effects of the spatial variation of these two failure parameters, regardless of the spatial variation of the Young’s modulus, the FGM fracture resistance can either increase, decrease or remain constant with continued crack growth.     

多参量断裂力学广义杂交/混合裂纹有限元法

通过研究广为人知的断裂力学单变量八节点位移裂纹QPE元和Akin族奇异单元法，本文运用经典局部裂纹解析解，与非协调假设应力杂交-混合元列式方法相结合，提出用于分层各向异性材料的多变量半解析假设应力奇异广义杂交／混合裂纹有限元法，能克服现有位移裂纹元法的域应力分布精度低和高次单元所需计算容量大的局限性，互为补充，更有利于结构裂纹扩展分析和应用研究。文中设计了一个半解析奇异裂纹平面单元，各向同性材料板算例验证了退化二次八节点协调位移裂纹元及六节点非协调奇异应力裂纹元，说明采用稀疏及加密单元网格，两类裂纹单元分别从上下逼近收敛于实验和理论参考解，可得到吻合程度较好的1／√r奇异应变和应力分量以及应力强度因子值，表明了本文奇异裂纹单元理论的优越性。     

功能梯度条共线Griffith裂纹反平面剪切冲击

研究正交各向异性功能梯度条中多个共线Griffith裂纹的反平面剪切冲击问题．材料两个方向的剪切模量假定按比例同时以特定的梯度变化．采用Laplace和Fourier变换及引进位错密度函数将问题化为求解Cauchy奇异积方程，进而化为代数方程数值求解．考查材料非均匀性、正交性和功能梯度条高度对裂尖动态断裂特性的影响．动应力强度因子的数值结果显示：增加剪切模量的梯度和(或)增加垂直于裂纹面方向的剪切模量，可以抑制动应力强度因子的幅度；若功能梯度条较薄，增大条形域的高度也可抑制裂纹扩展．     

双轴压缩载荷下裂纹动态传播的实验研究

本文研究了双轴压缩载荷下裂纹的起裂和非共面传播问题，用动态光弹性方法成功地记录下裂纹的动态扩展过程。获得了双轴压缩载荷下扩展裂纹的传播速度，临界开裂载荷以及开裂角第一系重要断裂参数。研究表明，在双轴压缩载荷下不闭合裂纹前缘应力场是一个混合型的奇异场，裂纹的扩展过程为稳态过程并且表现出显著的阶段性特点。     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON DYNAMIC PROPAGATION OF CRACKS UNDER BIAXIAL COMPRESSION

This paper deals with the initiation and non-coplaner propagation ofcracks under biaxial compression.The running process of the propagating cracks issuccessfully recorded with the method of dynamic photoclasticity.A series of importantfracture parameters such as cracks' propagating velocity,critical opening loading andinitial angle of cracks' growth under hiaxial compression is calculated.Results showthat the stress field in front of the non-closed crack tip under biaxial compression is amixed-mode singular field,the dynamic propagation of the new tensile cracks is juststable and shows distinct stages,but the unstable crack appears under high loads andresults in the rupture of the matrix.     

Combination of fracture and damage mechanics for numerical failure analysis

A new approach for the analysis of crack propagation in brittle materials is proposed, which is based on a combination of fracture mechanics and continuum damage mechanics within the context of the finite element method. The approach combines the accuracy of singular crack-tip elements from fracture mechanics theories with the flexibility of crack representation by softening zones in damage mechanics formulations. A super element is constructed in which the typical elements are joined together. The crack propagation is decided on either of two fracture criteria; one criterion is based on the energy release rate or the J-integral, the other on the largest principal stress in the crack-tip region. Contrary to many damage mechanics methods, the combined fracture⧹damage approach is not sensitive to variations in the finite element division. Applications to situations of mixed-mode crack propagation in both two- and three-dimensional problems reveal that the calculated crack paths are independent of the element size and the element orientation and are accurate within one element from the theoretical (curvilinear) crack paths.     

Computation of thermal fracture parameters for orthotropic functionally graded materials using Jk-integral

This article introduces a computational method based on the J_k-integral for mixed-mode fracture analysis of orthotropic functionally graded materials (FGMs) that are subjected to thermal stresses. The generalized definition of the J_k-integral is recast into a domain independent form composed of line and area integrals by utilizing the constitutive relations of plane orthotropic thermoelasticity. Implementation of the domain independent J_k-integral is realized through a numerical procedure developed by means of the finite element method. The outlined computational approach enables the evaluation of the modes I and II stress intensity factors, the energy release rate, and the T-stress. The developed technique is validated numerically by considering two different problems, the first of which is the problem of an embedded crack in an orthotropic FGM layer subjected to steady-state thermal stresses; and the second one is that of periodic cracks under transient thermal loading. Comparisons of the mixed-mode stress intensity factors evaluated by the J_k-integral based method to those calculated through the displacement correlation technique (DCT) and to those available in the literature point out that, the proposed form of the J_k-integral possesses the required domain independence and leads to numerical results of high accuracy. Further results are presented to illustrate the influences of the geometric and material constants on the thermal fracture parameters.     

Interaction of microcracks with a macrocrack yielded in a narrow strip

Plastic zone growth of collinear cracks has had a longstanding interest in ductile fracture. This work further considers yield zone growth in an isotropic, homogeneous elastic–perfectly plastic infinite plate containing a macrocrack with several neighboring microcracks. Normal loading is considered at distances far away from the cracks. The strip yield is adopted where the plastic zone is assumed to be confined to two narrow strips extending from the ends of a finite length crack while the microcracks are assumed to be elastic. The plastic zone length and crack opening displacement are found from asymptotic solution and compared with finite element solution.     

INTERACTION OF THREE PARALLEL CRACKS IN RECTANGULAR PLATE UNDER CYCLIC LOADS

This paper presents a numerical approach for modeling the interaction between multiple cracks in a rectangular plate under cyclic loads. It involves the formulation of fatigue growth of multiple crack tips under ruixed-mode loading and an extension of a hybrid displacement discontinuity method （a boundary element method） to fatigue crack growth analyses. Because of an intrinsic feature of the boundary element method, a general growth problem of multiple cracks can be solved in a single-region formulation. In the numerical simulation, remeshing of existing boundaries is not necessary for each increment of crack extension. Crack extension is conveniently modeled by adding new boundary elements on the incremental crack extension to the previous crack boundaries. As an example, the numerical approach is used to analyze the fatigue growth of three parallel cracks in a rectangular plate. The numerical results illustrate the validation of the numerical approach and can reveal the effect of the geometry of the cracked plate on the fatigue growth.     

Element-failure concepts for dynamic fracture and delamination in low-velocity impact of composites

An element-failure algorithm is proposed and incorporated into a finite element code for simulating dynamic crack propagation and impact damage in laminated composite materials. In this algorithm, when a crack is propagating within a finite element, the element is deemed to have partially failed, but not removed from the computations. Consequently, only a fraction of the stresses that were computed before the crack tip entered the element contribute to the nodal forces of the element. When the crack has propagated through the element, the element is completely failed and therefore can only resist volumetric compression. This treatment of crack propagation in isotropic solids allows fracture paths within individual elements and is able to accommodate crack growth in any arbitrary direction without the need for remeshing. However, this concept is especially powerful when extended to the modeling of damage and delamination in fibre-reinforced composite laminates. This is because the nature of damage in composite laminates is generally diffused, characterized by multiple matrix cracks, fibre pullout, fibre breakage and delaminations. It is usually not possible to define or identify crack tips in the tradition of fracture mechanics. Since parts of a damaged composite structure are often able to partially transmit load despite the presence of some damage, it is advantageous to model the damaged portions with partially failed elements. The damage may be efficiently modeled and tracked using element-failure concepts, with the application of appropriate failure criteria and damage evolution laws. The idea is to embody the effects of damage into the effective nodal forces of the finite element. In this paper, we report the novel use of element-failure concepts in the analysis of low-velocity impact damage of composite laminates. The initiation and propagation of delaminations arising from the impact are predicted and the results show qualitative agreement with experimental observation of the formation of multiple delaminations in impact-damaged specimens. While such delaminations do not permit transmission of tensile stress waves across the cracked surfaces, transmission of compressive stress waves are allowed in the simulation. It is further shown that, when elements are allowed to fail, the dynamic stress wave distributions are altered significantly. In the element-failure algorithm, the issue of interpenetration of delamination surfaces in the model does not arise. This is a significant advantage over the conventional method of explicitly modeling the delamination surfaces and crack front, where generally, much computational time must be spent in employing contact algorithms to ensure physically admissible solutions. Finally, we also demonstrate the simulation of crack propagation of pre-notched specimens of an isotropic material under initial conditions of mode II loading using the element-failure algorithm. The numerical results showed that the cracks propagated at an angle of about 70° with respect to the notches, in agreement with the experimental results of Kalthoff.     

Wave propagation analysis in anisotropic and inhomogeneous uncracked and cracked structures using pseudospectral finite element method

The work deals with the development of an effective numerical tool in the form of pseudospectral method for wave propagation analysis in anisotropic and inhomogeneous structures. Chebyshev polynomials are used as basis functions and Chebyshev–Gauss–Lobatto points are used as grid points. The formulation is implemented in the same way as conventional finite element method. The element is tested successfully on a variety of problems involving isotropic, orthotropic and functionally graded material (FGM) structures. The formulation is validated by performing static, free vibration and wave propagation analysis. The accuracy of the element in predicting stresses is compared with conventional finite elements. Free vibration analysis is carried out on composite and FGM beams and the computational resources saved in each case are presented. Wave propagation analysis is carried out using the element on anisotropic and inhomogeneous beams and layer structures. Wave propagation in thin double bounded media over long propagating distances is studied. Finally, a study on scattering of waves due to embedded horizontal and vertical cracks is carried out, where the effectiveness of modulated pulse in detecting small cracks in composites and FGMs has been demonstrated.     

Thermal fracture of a functionally graded/homogeneous bimaterial with system of cracks

The thermal fracture of a bimaterial consisting of a homogeneous material and a functionally graded material (FGM) with a system of internal cracks and an interface crack is investigated. The bimaterial is subjected to a heat flux. The thermal properties of FGM are assumed to be continues functions of the thickness coordinate, while the elastic properties are constants. The method of the solution is based on the singular integral equations. For a special case where the interface crack is much larger than the internal cracks in the FGM the asymptotic analytical solution of the problem is obtained as series in a small parameter (the ratio between sizes of the internal and interface crack) and the thermal stress intensity factors (TSIFs) are derived as functions of geometry of the problem and material characteristics. A parametric analysis of the effects of the location and orientation of the cracks and of the inhomogeneity parameter of FGM’s thermal conductivity on the TSIFs is performed. The results are applicable to such kinds FGMs as ceramic/ceramic FGMs, e.g., TiC/SiC, MoSi₂/Al₂O₃ and MoSi₂/SiC, and also some ceramic/metal FGMs.