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.     

Mode II dynamic fields near a crack tip growing in an elastic-perfectly-plastic solid

An asymptotic solution is given for Mode II dynamic fields in the neighborhood of the tip of a steadily advancing crack in an incompressible elastic—perfectly-plastic solid (plane strain). It is shown that, like for Modes I and III (Gao and Nemat-Nasser, 1983), the complete dynamic solution for Mode II predicts a logarithmic singularity for the strain field, but unlike for those modes which involve no elastic unloading, the pure Mode II solution includes two elastic sectors next to the stress-free crack surfaces. This is in contradiction to the quasi-static solution which predicts a small central plastic zone, followed by two large elastic zones, and then two very small plastic zones adjacent to the stress-free crack faces. The stress field for the complete dynamic solution varies throughout the entire crack tip neighborhood, admitting finite jumps at two shock fronts within the central plastic sector. This dynamic stress field is consistent with that of the stationary crack solution, and indeed reduces to it as the crack growth speed becomes zero.     

Analysis on the cohesive stress at half infinite crack tip

The nonlinear fracture behavior of quasi-brittle materials is closely related with the cohesive force distribution of fracture process zone at crack tip. Based on fracture character of quasi-brittle materials, a mechanical analysis model of half infinite crack with cohesive stress is presented. A pair of integral equations is established according to the superposition principle of crack opening displacement in solids, and the fictitious adhesive stress is unknown function . The properties of integral equations are analyzed, and the series function expression of cohesive stress is certified. By means of the data of actual crack opening displacement, two approaches to gain the cohesive stress distribution are proposed through resolving algebra equation. They are the integral transformation method for continuous displacement of actual crack opening, and the least square method for the discrete data of crack opening displacement. The calculation examples of two approaches and associated discussions are give     

Perfectly plastic stress field at a stationary crack tip

Under the hypothesis that all the perfectly plastic stress components at a orach tip are the functions of θ only, making use of yield conditions and equilibrium equations. we derive the generally analytical expressions of the perfectly plastic stress field at a crack tip. Applying these generally analytical expressions to the concrete cracks, the analytical expressions of perfectly plastic stress fields at the tips of Mode Ⅰ Mode Ⅱ, Mode Ⅲ and Mixed Mode Ⅰ-Ⅱ cracks are obtained.     

Dislocation behaviours ahead of crack tip

In this paper, a unified mechanics model for dislocation nucleation, emission and dislocation free zone is proposed based on the Peierls framework. Three regions are identified ahead of the crack tip. The emitted dislocations within the plastic zone in the form of an inverse pile up are treated as discrete elastic edge dislocations. Between that zone and the cohesive zone immediately ahead of the crack tip, there is a dislocation free zone. With the stress field and the dislocation density field in the cohesive zone, respectively, expressed in the first and second Chebyshev polynomial series, and the opening and slip displacements in trigonometric series, a set of nonlinear governing equations are obtained which take into account for the interaction between the emitted dislocations and cohesive zone and the nonlinear interaction between sliding displacement and the opening displacement. After discretization, the governing equations are transformed into a set nonlinear algebraic equations which are solved with Newton-Raphson Method. The results of calculation for pure shearing and combined tension and shear loading after dislocation emission are given in detail. Finally, the process of dislocation nucleation and emission on a pair of symmetric slip planes of angle α with respect to the crack plane under pure mode I load is analysed. The equilibrium positions and the number of emitted dislocation are determined. Several possible competition behaviors of dislocation emission vs cleavage are revealed.     

Anisotropic plastic stress fields at a slowly propagating crack tip

Under the condition that any perfectly plastic stress components at a crack tip are nothing but the functions of 0 only making use of equilibrium equations. Hill anisotropic yield condition and unloading stress-strain relations, in this paper, we derive the general analytical expressions of anisotropic plastic stress fields at the slowly steady propagating tips of plane and anti-plane strain. Applying these general analytical expressions to the concrete cracks, the analytical expressions of anisotropic plastic stress fields at the-slowly steady propagating tips of Mode I and Mode III cracks are obtained. For the isotropic plastic material, the anisotropic plastic stress fields at a slowly propagating crack tip become the perfectly plastic stress fields.     

Effect of a flat inclusion on stress intensity factor of a semi-infinite crack

The elastic plane interaction between an arbitrarily located and oriented flat inclusion and a semi-infinite crack subjected to a remote Mode I loading is considered. The method uses distributions of edge dislocations to formulate integral expressions of flat inclusion (including crack) tractions and is shown to be very accurate by a test problem. The stress intensity factors of the main crack tip are presented for a variety of crack inclusion geometries. It is seen that the flat inclusion could either yield a stress enhancement or stress shielding effect to the main crack tip depending upon the location, orientation and thickness of the flat inclusion, and depending upon the modulus ratios of the flat inclusion to matrix.     

Subsonic and intersonic mode II crack propagation with a rate-dependent cohesive zone

A recent experimental study has demonstrated the attainability of intersonic shear crack growth along weak planes in otherwise homogeneous, isotropic, linear elastic solids subjected to remote loading conditions (Rosakis et al., Science 284 (5418) (1999) 1337). The relevant experimental observations are summarized briefly here and the conditions governing the attainment of intersonic crack speeds are examined. Motivated by experimental observations, subsonic and intersonic mode II crack propagation with a rate-dependent cohesive zone is subsequently analyzed. A cohesive law is assumed, wherein the cohesive shear traction is either a constant or varies linearly with the local sliding rate. Complete decohesion is assumed to occur when the crack tip sliding displacement reaches a material-specific critical value. Closed form expressions are obtained for the near-tip fields. With a cohesive zone of finite size, it is found that the dynamic energy release rate is finite through out the intersonic regime. Crack tip stability issues are addressed and favorable speed regimes are identified. The influence of shear strength of the crack plane and of a rate parameter on crack propagation behavior is also investigated. The isochromatic fringe patterns predicted by the analytical solution are compared with the experimental observations of Rosakis et al. (1999) and comments are made on the validity of the proposed model.     

Logarithm strain singularity at tip of mode I growing crack in elasticand perfectly-plastic material

Reanalyzed in detail is the stress and strain distribution near the tip of a Mode I steadily growing crack in an elastic and perfectly-plastic material. The crack tip region is divided into five angular sectors, one of which is singular in character and represents a rapid transition zone that becomes a line of strain discontinuity in the limit as crack tip is approached. It is shown for an incompressible material (ν=0.5) under plane strain that the local strain in all the angular sectors possesses the same logarithm singularity, i.e., In r where r is the radial distance measured from the crack tip. This result also prevails for the compressible material ( v < 0.5) and resolves a long standing controversy concerning the strain singularity in the sector just ahead of the crack tip.     

Intergranular strain evolution near fatigue crack tips in polycrystalline metals

The deformation field near a steady fatigue crack includes a plastic zone in front of the crack tip and a plastic wake behind it, and the magnitude, distribution, and history of the residual strain along the crack path depend on the stress multiaxiality, material properties, and history of stress intensity factor and crack growth rate. An in situ, full-field, non-destructive measurement of lattice strain (which relies on the intergranular interactions of the inhomogeneous deformation fields in neighboring grains) by neutron diffraction techniques has been performed for the fatigue test of a Ni-based superalloy compact tension specimen. These microscopic grain level measurements provided unprecedented information on the fatigue growth mechanisms. A two-scale model is developed to predict the lattice strain evolution near fatigue crack tips in polycrystalline materials. An irreversible, hysteretic cohesive interface model is adopted to simulate a steady fatigue crack, which allows us to generate the stress/strain distribution and history near the fatigue crack tip. The continuum deformation history is used as inputs for the micromechanical analysis of lattice strain evolution using the slip-based crystal plasticity model, thus making a mechanistic connection between macro- and micro-strains. Predictions from perfect grain-boundary simulations exhibit the same lattice strain distributions as in neutron diffraction measurements, except for discrepancies near the crack tip within about one-tenth of the plastic zone size. By considering the intergranular damage, which leads to vanishing intergranular strains as damage proceeds, we find a significantly improved agreement between predicted and measured lattice strains inside the fatigue process zone. Consequently, the intergranular damage near fatigue crack tip is concluded to be responsible for fatigue crack growth.     

Loss of adhesion at the tip of an interface crack

A model is constructed to analyze adhesive bond failure at the tip of an interface crack. The model is based on the assumption that there are zones of bounded cohesive tensile and shear stresses near a crack tip. Within the context of certain broad a-priori assumptions on the distributions of certain stress and displacement components in the cohesive zones, the requirement thatall stresses in the two materials remain bounded provides a method to compute the specific details for these zones. It is assumed that bond failure occurs when the extension of the bond fiber at the crack tip exceeds a critical value. For an interface crack in a uniform tension field computations for two alternate formulations suggest that this failure criterion is independent of the precise distribution of the cohesive stresses, but rather depends only upon their averaged values. Combined loading with a dominant tensile component has also been analyzed. If the critical extension of bond fibers and the maximum value of the cohesive tensile stress are known, the model provides the maximum allowable interface stresses for given crack dimension and material parameters.     

Dislocation shielding of a cohesive crack

Dislocation interaction with a cohesive crack is of increasing importance to computational modelling of crack nucleation/growth and related toughening mechanisms in confined structures and under cyclic fatigue conditions. Here, dislocation shielding of a Dugdale cohesive crack described by a rectangular traction-separation law is studied. The shielding is completely characterized by three non-dimensional parameters representing the effective fracture toughness, the cohesive strength, and the distance between the dislocations and the crack tip. A closed form analytical solution shows that, while the classical singular crack model predicts that a dislocation can shield or anti-shield a crack depending on the sign of its Burgers vector, at low cohesive strengths a dislocation always shields the cohesive crack irrespective of the Burgers vector. A numerical study shows the transition in shielding from the classical solution of Lin and Thomson (1986) in the high strength limit to the solution in the low strength limit. An asymptotic analysis yields an approximate analytical model for the shielding over the full range of cohesive strengths. A discrete dislocation (DD) simulation of a large (>10³) number of edge dislocations interacting with a cohesive crack described by a trapezoidal traction-separation law confirms the transition in shielding, showing that the cohesive crack does behave like a singular crack at very high cohesive strengths (∼7 GPa), but that significant deviations in shielding between singular and cohesive crack predictions arise at cohesive strengths around 1GPa, consistent with the analytic models. Both analytical and numerical studies indicate that an appropriate crack tip model is essential for accurately quantifying dislocation shielding for cohesive strengths in the GPa range.     

Effect of the poisson ratio on the perfectly plastic stress field at a stationary plane-strain crack tip

Under the condition that all the perfectly plastic stress components at a crack tip are the functions of θ only, making use of equilibrium equations and Von-Mises yield condition containing Poisson ratio, in this paper, we derive the generally analytical expressions of perfectly plastic stress field at a stationary plane-strain crack tip. Applying these generally analytical expressions to the concrete cracks, the analytical expressions of perfectly plastic stress fields at the stationary tips of Mode Ⅰ, Mode Ⅱ and Mixed-Mode Ⅰ-Ⅱ plane-strain cracks are obtained. These analytical expressions contain Poisson ratio.     

Intensification of externally applied magnetic field around a crack in layered composite

Dynamic stress intensification around the crack in a layered composite subjected to an externally applied magnetic field is investigated. The effect of magnetic force is accounted for in the analysis as a body force. It tends to introduce damping into the system and reduces the intensification of the crack tip stress field. This is illustrated through the variations of the Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors with time in addition to the influence of the geometric and material parameters of the composite structure. Numerical results are presented and discussed as the magnetic flux is varied with the physical parameters.     

Analytic solutions to crack tip plastic zone under various loading conditions

Based on stress field equations and Hill yield criterion, the crack tip plastic zone is determined for orthotropic materials and isotropic materials under small-scale yielding condition. An analytical solution to calculating the crack tip plastic zone in plane stress states is presented. The shape and size of the plastic zone are analyzed under different loading conditions. The obtained results show that the crack tip plastic zones present “butterfly-like” shapes, and the elastic–plastic boundary is smooth. The size of the plastic zone for orthotropic composites is less at the crack tip for various loading conditions, compared with the case of isotropic materials. Crack inclination angle and loading conditions affect greatly the size and shape of crack tip plastic zone. The mode I crack has a crucial effect on the plastic zone for mixed mode case in plane stress state. The plastic zone for pure mode I crack and pure mode II crack have a symmetrical distribution to the initial crack plane.     

Stress and strain field near tip of mode III growing crack in materials with creep behavior

Using a proposed constitutive relation for materials with creep behavior, the stress and strain distribution near the tip of a Mode III growing crack is examined. Asymptotic equations of the crack tip field are derived and solved numerically. The stresses remain finite at the crack tip. Obtained qualitatively is the crack tip velocity and the local autonomy of the near tip field solution is discussed.     

Analysis of crack growth and crack-tip plasticity in ductile materials using cohesive zone models

Crack initiation and crack growth resistance in elastic plastic materials, dominated by crack-tip plasticity are analyzed with the crack modeled as a cohesive zone. Two different types (exponential and bilinear) of cohesive zone models (CZMs) have been used to represent the mechanical behavior of the cohesive zones. In this work, it is suggested that different forms of CZMs (e.g., exponential, bilinear) are the manifestations of different micromechanisms-based inelastic processes that participate in dissipating energy during the fracture process and each form is specific to each material system. It is postulated that the total energy release rate comprises the plastic dissipation rate in the bounding material and the separation energy rate within the fracture process zone, the latter is determined by CZMs. The total energy release rate then becomes a function of the material properties (e.g., yield strength, strain hardening exponent) and cohesive properties of the fracture process zone (e.g., cohesive strength and cohesive energy), and the form of cohesive zone model (CZM) that determines the rate of energy dissipation in the forward and wake regions of the crack. The effects of material parameters, cohesive zone parameters as well as the form/shape of CZMs in predicting the crack growth resistance and the size of plastic zone (SPZ) surrounding the crack tip are systematically examined. It is found that in addition to the cohesive strength and cohesive energy, the form (shape) of the traction–separation law of CZM plays a very critical role in determining the crack growth resistance (R-curve) of a given material. It is further observed that the shape of the CZM corresponds to inelastic processes active in the forward and wake regions of the crack, and has a profound influence on the R-curve and SPZ.     

Kinking of a crack under dynamic loading conditions

Summary A method is presented to analyze elastodynamic stress intensity factors at the tip of a branch which emanates at velocity v and under an angle from the tip of a semi-infinite crack, when the faces of the semi-infinite crack are subjected to impulsive normal pressures. By taking advantage of self-similarity, the system of governing equations is reduced to a set of two Laplace's equations in half-plane regions. The solutions to these equations, which are coupled along the real axes of the half-planes, are obtained by using complex function theory together with summations over Chebychev polynomials. For small values of the Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors and the corresponding flux of energy into the crack tip have been computed.     

Analytical representation of the non-square-root singular stress field at a finite angle sharp notch

The stress field near the tip of a finite angle sharp notch is singular. However, unlike a crack, the order of the singularity at the notch tip is less than one-half. Under tensile loading, such a singularity is characterized by a generalized stress intensity factor which is analogous to the mode I stress intensity factor used in fracture mechanics, but which has order less than one-half. By using a cohesive zone model for a notional crack emanating from the notch tip, we relate the critical value of the generalized stress intensity factor to the fracture toughness. The results show that this relation depends not only on the notch angle, but also on the maximum stress of the cohesive zone model. As expected the dependence on that maximum stress vanishes as the notch angle approaches zero. The results of this analysis compare very well with a numerical (finite element) analysis in the literature. For mixed-mode loading the limits of applicability of using a mode I failure criterion are explored.