Stability analysis of crack path using the strain energy density theory

Prediction of crack growth path is a pre-requisite for estimating the final shape of broken solids and structures. Crack path in broken specimens provides information for the loading conditions just before fracture. Experiments on brittle materials, pre-cracked specimens of the same geometry under similar loading conditions, however, may yield different crack trajectories at times. The existing theories for the prediction of the crack path are based on the perturbation method combining the analytical and finite elements methods. They require a knowledge of the toughness equations. Moreover, they can only be applied to specimens with simple geometry and loadings.A different approach is used in the present work. The finite element technique is used to calculate the strain energy density (SED) contours. The predicted trajectory of the crack during unstable propagation is assumed to coincide with the minimum of the strain energy density function according to the SED criterion.The degree of crack path stability depends on the sharpness of the SED oscillations. This simple method offers a reliable prediction of the crack path stability for two as well as three-dimensional problems with complex geometry structures and arbitrary loadings. To be specific, both the TPB and DCB specimens are analysed. The findings are in good agreement with the theoretical and experimental results in the literature.     

Fracture behavior of a nickel-base single crystal superalloy as predicted by the strain energy density criterion

Results from compact tension specimens and scanning electronic microscopy are used to study the fracture characteristics of nickel-base single crystal superalloy DD3. Finite element analyses are also made to better understand the outcome. The experiments showed that the initiation and growth of cracks were dependent on the crystallographic orientation of specimens, and the fracture surfaces coincided with the slip planes. Three-dimensional stresses near the crack tip are obtained. The strain energy density criterion is applied to predict the fracture of the superalloy. Agreement with experiments is good.     

冲击作用下含预制裂纹梁柱试件的动态断裂

利用焦散线实验系统,进行了冲击加载下含预制裂纹梁柱试件的断裂实验,研究了梁柱试件的梁柱节点、梁上和柱端裂纹的扩展轨迹、扩展速度和应力强度因子的变化规律。实验结果表明:受冲击后,试件首先在梁柱节点处开裂,并在裂纹扩展过程中发生明显的曲裂运动,证明梁柱节点处最容易受到破坏。预制裂纹条数越多,梁柱节点处开裂越晚,说明裂纹条数少,能量可以在裂纹尖端积聚得更集中、更快。含柱端预制裂纹的试件,2条裂纹的开裂相隔时间要长于含梁上预制裂纹的试件;同时,试件的第2条裂纹优先在梁上裂纹处开裂,说明固端支座比简支梁断裂需要更多的能量。随着预制裂纹的增多,梁上裂纹在扩展过程中的曲裂现象减弱, 由于部分能量在柱端裂纹处积聚,用于推动梁上裂纹扩展的能量相应地减少。并且由于柱端裂纹的存在,梁上裂纹受到的拉应力分量减小,导致裂纹尖端受到弯矩变小,影响了裂纹的曲裂运动。     

Crack initiation and growth in contact problems

The problem of crack initiation and growth in contact problems is studied by the strain energy density theory. This is accomplished by considering each point of the body as a possible source of crack initiation. The direction of crack initiation is determined by calculating the minimum value of the strain energy density function along a circular core area surrounding the point. The crack initiates from the point with the maximum of the local minimum values of the strain energy density function. Considered is a circular disc subjected to two equal and opposite forces and a circular cylindrical body pressed by a cylindrical punch. The stress field for the first case is obtained from the classical elasticity solution, while a finite element code is used for the second case. The locations of fracture initiation and the subsequent fracture trajectories for fast unstable fracture are determined.     

Dynamic crack kinking from a PMMA/Homalite interface

The behavior of a pre-existing, dynamically loaded, interfacial crack kinking away from the interface separating two materials was experimentally investigated under dynamic loading conditions. Dynamic fracture experiments were performed on pre-cracked bimaterial panels of PMMA bonded with Homalite-100 impact loaded using a high-speed gas gun. By varying the location of impact, a large range of mixed mode loading at the crack tip was produced. Information about the stress state surrounding the crack tip was obtained through use of the lateral shearing interferometer of coherent gradient sensing in conjunction with high-speed photography. The high-speed interferogram corresponding, to the time of crack initiation was analyzed in each case to find the preinitiation mode mixity at the crack tip. Measurement of both the local initiation mode mixity and the crack kink angle allows for possible extension of existing quasi-static interface crack kinking criteria, such as maximum opening stress or maximum energy release rate, to the case of dynamic loading. It was found that for bimaterial systems with small material property mismatch, such as the PMMA/Homalite system, the maximum opening stress criterion accurately predicts the relation between crack tip mode mixity and resulting kink angle for small initial crack kinking speeds.     

冲击加载下巷道内裂纹的扩展特性及破坏行为

为了开展含预制裂纹的巷道模型试样在冲击载荷下的动态断裂响应实验,选用青砂岩作为模型材料制作巷道模型试样,以可调速落锤冲击实验机作为冲击加载装置进行试样的动态断裂实验,分析冲击载荷作用下的巷道内裂纹的扩展规律。采用裂纹扩展计及应变片测试系统监测裂纹的起裂时间、扩展速度及止裂时间,并借助于AUTODYN、ABAQUS有限元数值分析软件对实验模型进行数值模拟,计算裂纹的动态起裂韧度、动态扩展韧度、动态止裂韧度等断裂参数。结果表明:巷道内裂纹在扩展路径过程中存在着明显的止裂现象;采用实验-数值方法能够较好地得出裂纹的起裂韧度、扩展韧度和止裂韧度等参数。另外,对止裂现象进行了初步的分析,讨论了试样内应力反射波与透射波对止裂问题的影响。     

Time-harmonic P-waves engulfing a rectangular limited-permeable crack in piezoelectric medium: Energy density and energy release

The dynamic behavior of a limited-permeable rectangular crack in a transversely isotropic piezoelectric material is impinged by to a P-wave. The generalized Almansi theorem and the Schmidt method are used to determine the stress intensity factor and energy density factor as the primary fracture criterion of failure. The mixed boundary value problem entails the evaluation of the appropriate crack edge stress singularities that are characteristics of the fundamental functions. The stress and electric displacement intensity factors are also used to find the energy release rate that can be computed numerically and compared with the results corresponding to those of the stress intensity factor, and energy density factor. Graphical presentation shows that the energy release rate is always negative for the boundary conditions considered while the energy density factors always remain positive. Under certain conditions, the stress and electric displacement intensity factors can be negative and subject to physical limitations. Piezoelectric material boundary value problem solutions should therefore be qualified by the application of failure criteria by fracture of otherwise, particularly when the mechanical and electrical energy can release by creating free surface at the macroscopic and microscopic scales. Negative energy release rate found for the piezoelectric medium in this work can be a case in point.Positive definiteness of the energy density factor can be applied to mutliscale fracture. This is not true for the stress intensity factor nor the energy release rate. Hence, crack initiation behavior for the permittivity of a rectangular crack due to the wave propagation effects may be studied. In particular, the initiation of micro-cracks may be identified with certain critical stress wave frequency band. Negative stress intensity factor may not enhance macrocracking but it does not exclude microcrack initiation.     

Fracture toughness of cast ferritic steel applying local approach

Fracture characteristics prediction with temperature dependence has been made and experimentally proved for cast manganese steel. The approach is based on computer simulation of the crack nucleus formation and unstable microcrack equilibrium in polycrystalline metal. Results of low-temperature tests of smooth tensile specimens, tensile specimens with circumferential U and V notches, pre-cracked bend specimens and tensile specimens with circumferential shallow crack have been applied. A good agreement of predicted and experimentally determined fracture toughness temperature dependence for the tested steel has been obtained.     

节理充填物厚度对运动裂纹扩展的影响

为研究冲击载荷作用下节理充填物厚度对裂纹扩展行为的影响,以石膏为有机玻璃预制裂纹充填物,利用新型数字激光动态焦散线实验系统,对3种不同节理充填物厚度的有机玻璃进行三点弯冲击实验。实验结果表明,相同冲击载荷作用下,竖向预制裂纹均竖直向上扩展,是典型的Ⅰ型裂纹,充填物越厚,竖向裂纹越容易起裂。竖直裂纹扩展至水平预制裂纹后,充填物厚度为1、3、5 mm的试件的水平预制裂纹汇聚能量的时间分别为433、2 200、2 580 μs,起裂时的应力强度因子分别为635.2、742.4、906.8 kN/m3/2,表明充填物越厚,水平裂纹越难起裂。水平预制裂纹扩展过程中共发生2次曲裂,是典型的Ⅰ-Ⅱ复合型裂纹,节理充填物越厚,其扩展轨迹越弯曲;当裂纹扩展至距离试件上边界3 mm时,扩展方向偏离第1次裂纹曲裂切线而朝向试件上边界扩展,试件最终断裂,测量发现充填物厚度为1、3、5 mm的试件的断裂点与冲击载荷作用点的距离分别为16.5、11.0、6.0 mm。     

平面幂律塑性Ⅰ型裂纹尖端应力场全解

在航空航天、船舶、石油管道和核电等领域,服役结构或部件在长期极端条件下运行,不可避免地会产生裂纹,因此,为研究含裂纹结构的准静态断裂行为,必须了解裂纹尖端附近区域的应力应变场特点.对于幂律材料裂纹构元,研究平面应变和平面应力条件下Ⅰ型裂纹尖端应力场的解析分布.基于能量密度等效和量纲分析,推导了能量密度中值点代表性体积单元(representative volume element, RVE)的等效应力解析方程,并定义其为应力因子,进而针对有限平面应变和平面应力紧凑拉伸(compact tension, CT)试样和单边裂纹弯曲(single edge bend, SEB)试样,以应力因子作为应力特征量,并构造用于表征裂尖等效应力等值线的蝶翅轮廓式和扇贝轮廓式三角特殊函数,提出描述幂律塑性条件下平面I型裂纹尖端应力场的半解析模型.该半解析模型形式简单,对CT和SEB试样的裂尖应力场的预测结果与有限元分析的结果比较表明,两者之间均密切吻合,模型公式可直接用于预测Ⅰ型裂纹尖端应力分布,方便于断裂安全评价和理论发展.     

Impact failure prediction of Mode III crack in orthotropic functionally graded strip

Mode III impact of a crack in an orthotropic functionally graded strip is investigated. The shear moduli in two directions of the material are assumed to vary proportionately with gradient. Laplace transform and Fourier cosine transform are used to reduce the problem to solving a Fredholm integral equation. The crack tip stress field is obtained by considering the asymptotic behavior of Bessel function. Energy density factor criterion is applied to obtain the maximum of minimum energy density and direction of crack initiation. Numerical results are given graphically. The effects of orthotropy, nonhomogeneity and height of the strip on the energy density factor are discussed.     

Crack growth instability studied by the strain energy density theory

The strain energy density theory has successfully been used to address the problem of material damage and structural failure in problems of engineering interest. The theory makes use of the strain energy density function, dW/dV, and focuses attention in its stationary values. The directions of crack growth and yielding are determined from the minimum and maximum values of dW/dV, respectively, along the circumference of a circle centered at the point of failure initiation. Failure by crack growth or yielding takes place when these values of dW/dV become equal to their critical values which are material constants. In the present work the basic principles of the strain energy density theory were reviewed. Furthermore, this theory was used to study three problems of structural failure, namely the problem of slow stable growth of an inclined crack in a plate subjected to uniaxial tension, the problem of fracture instability of a plate with a central crack and two notches, and the problem of unstable crack growth in a circular disc subjected to two equal and opposite forces. The results of stress analysis were combined with the strain energy density theory to obtain the whole history of crack growth from initiation to instability. A length parameter was introduced to define the fracture instability of a mechanical system. Fracture trajectories were obtained for fast unstable crack propagation.     

Non-local theory solution for in-plane shear of through crack

A non-local theory of elasticity is applied to obtain the plane strain stress and displacement field for a through crack under in-plane shear by using Schmidt's method. Unlike the classical elasticity solution, a lattice parameter enters into the problem that make the stresses finite at crack tip. Both the angular variations of the circumferential stress and strain energy density function are examined to associate their stationary value with locations of possible fracture initiation. The former criterion predicted a crack initiation angle of 54° from the plane of shear for the non-local solution as compared with about 75° for the classical elasticity solution. The latter criterion based on energy density yields a crack initiation angle of 80° for a Poisson's ratio of 0.28. This is much closer to the value that is predicted by the classical crack tips solution of elasticity.     

Mixed mode fatigue crack growth in test coupons made from 2024-T3 aluminum

In this paper, two different fracture criteria are applied to determine the crack trajectory or angle of crack propagation in test specimens containing inclined cracks emanating from open holes. Also, different crack growth rate models are assumed for each criterion. The maximum principal stress criterion is used with a crack growth-rate equation based on an effective stress intensity factor. The strain energy density criterion is used with a crack growth-rate equation corresponding to an effective strain energy density factor. The crack growth-rate models for each criterion were constructed using unpublished fatigue crack growth data for 2024-T3 aluminum.     

Buckling analysis of pre-cracked beam-columns by Liapunov's second method

Interaction between reduced axial and lateral torsional buckling strengths of thin beam-columns of double symmetric sections with an edge crack at the middle is examined via Liapunov's second method. This is done in order to show how critical loads for pre-cracked thin-walled beam-columns can be obtained with out the rigour of meticulous solution of a set of differential equations. Having derived an asymptotic expression for the normalized energy release rates for the beam-column, a metric space and a Liapunov's Functional for a pre-cracked beam-column are proposed. By using Zubov's stability theorems and appropriate eigen value inequalities, expressions for reduced buckling strengths due to edge cracks are obtained. A crack reduction parameter k is proposed which is used to calculate reserve strengths for published lateral buckling strength equations. Results obtained using the proposed parameter are well in agreement with findings of earlier published works in the literature when the parameter is set to zero. The results also show that cracks cause loss of stiffness and can reduce the lateral buckling strengths of beam-columns considerably.     

石墨烯裂纹扩展行为研究

基于分子动力学方法对含预制裂纹石墨烯进行扶手椅向拉伸断裂模拟.使用连续介质理论结合分子动力学计算石墨烯能量释放率,确定石墨烯能量释放率GIC为10.25 J/m2;应力强度因子K,c为3.33 MPa√m.进一步对影响石墨烯裂纹扩展速率的因素-初始裂纹长度与加载速率进行讨论.结果表明:裂纹初始长度与加载率会在一定程度上影响石墨烯中裂纹扩展速率.裂纹扩展速率会随着初始裂纹长度的增加而降低;但随着初始裂纹长度的增加,裂纹扩展速率对其敏感度降低.裂纹扩展速率会随着加载率的升高而增大.初始裂纹长度与加载率对裂纹扩展速率的影响有一定的关联性,加载率的升高会降低裂纹扩展速率对初始裂纹长度变化的敏感度.在此基础上确定了石墨烯中裂纹扩展极限速率为8350 m/s.     

A Test Method to Characterize Flexural Creep Behaviour of Pre-cracked FRC Specimens

This paper presents a proposal of test setup and methodology for testing the flexural creep behaviour of pre-cracked Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC) specimens, aimed at providing a basis for standardization. The design criteria used to define the equipment and methodology are presented. A test results sheet and a curve are established to present the results of creep tests, and some experimental results are shown so that the test can be validated. The equipment and methodology proposed make it possible to research the influence of factors such as concrete type, fibres type and content, applied load, and crack opening value.     

Crack initiation angles for systems of two interacting cracks in media with rectilinear preferred directions

The direction of initial crack growth of two interacting cracks in solids with rectilinear preferred directions is predicted by using the strain energy density theory. The minimum local strain energy density factors are presented; they correspond to the directions along which the material elements attain maximum dilatation and hence are assumed to coincide with the direction of crack initiation. Numerical results are obtained for different crack systems and presented in graphical forms.     

Plasticity and fracture of martensitic boron steel under plane stress conditions

Two series of multiaxial experiments are performed to characterize the mechanical behavior of a hot formed martensitic 22MnB5 boron steel. In the first series, flat specimens of uniform cross-section are subjected to various combinations of tensile and shear loading to characterize the elasto-plastic response. Butterfly-shaped specimens of non-uniform cross-section are used for the second series to study the onset of fracture in the martensitic steel. It is found from the analysis of the experimental results that the planar isotropic Hill’48 yield function along with an associated flow rule provides good estimates of the stress–strain response over a wide range of loading paths. The fracture experiments demonstrate that the crack initiation depends strongly on the loading state. A simple stress triaxiality dependent phenomenological fracture model is calibrated to describe the onset of fracture. Using the proposed plasticity and fracture model, numerical simulations of the fracture of tensile specimens of different notch radii are performed and compared with experiments.     

Initiation and growth characterization of corner cracks near circular hole

The finite element analysis of crack problems often incorporates the asymptotic character of the local solution into the formulation. Embedment of stress or strain singularities can impose serious restrictions on the outcome and inconsistencies in predicting crack and/or growth. These restrictions are discussed in connection with the problem of two diametrically opposite corner cracks near a circular hole subjected to remote uniform tension. Enforced in the numerical treatment is the 1/r character of the strain energy density function local to the corner crack border where r is the radial distance measured from the crack front. The tendency for the corner crack to become a through crack is predicted by assuming that each point of the crack border extends by an amount proportional to the strain energy density factor. The path would correspond to the loci of minimum strain energy density function. Numerical results are displayed graphically and discussed in connection with crack initiation and non-self-similar crack growth.