Analysis of crack extension in anisotropic materials based on local normal stress

The normal stress ratio theory is applied to predict crack extension behavior in center-notched unidirectional graphite-epoxy of arbitrary fiber axis orientation, subjected to arbitrary far-field planar loading. The theory is applied within analytical solutions for two infinite plate geometries: a plate with a sharp center crack, and a plate with an elliptical center flaw. A critical analytical case is identified suggesting that application of the theory within a stress solution modelling crack tip shape may increase the accuracy of crack growth direction predictions. Crack extension direction, location of crack extension, and critical stress predictions of the theory are compared to those obtained from experiments on specimens subjected to tensile, shear, and mixed-mode far-field loading. The comparison shows that, applied within each analytical solution, the normal stress ratio theory provides verifiable predictions of crack growth behavior. By modelling actual notch tip shape, the elliptical notch solution is able to provide accurate qualitative predictions of the origin of crack extension along the periphery of a cut notch tip in a way that the sharp crack analysis cannot. The sharp notch solution appears to provide slightly more accurate crack growth direction predictions, however. Also, in predicting critical applied far-field stresses, the sharp crack solution appears to exhibit a stronger ability to model subtle experimental trends.     

Spontaneous Mixed-Mode Fracture in Bonded Similar and Dissimilar Materials

In this paper, we report on an experimental study of spontaneous, mixed-mode, crack propagation in weakly bonded similar and dissimilar materials. A unique experimental configuration is proposed to induce spontaneous crack growth events along the interfaces. The cracks nucleate from tiny circular holes and are triggered by an exploding wire. They subsequently propagate under the action of a constant, far-field load. Dynamic photoelasticity in conjunction with high speed photography is used to capture the real-time isochromatics associated with crack propagation. In the case of identical materials, crack propagation is anti-symmetric with respect to the crack nucleation point while strong asymmetry is observed for the case of dissimilar materials. In both cases, cracks propagate at constant velocity from the initiation point. The time histories of dynamic stress intensity factors and of energy release rates of the propagating cracks along the bonded similar materials are also reported.     

基于内聚力模型的白点萌生机理研究

基于内聚力理论、氢压理论和应力作用下氢富集理论,在以往孔洞锻合研究的基础上,建立了白点萌生扩展的有限元分析模型。研究了初始氢浓度、裂纹长度以及多裂纹耦合作用等多种因素对白点萌生的影响,确定了不同条件下白点萌生的临界氢浓度及其变化趋势。结果表明,氢对白点萌生具有重要的影响,在白点萌生过程中,高浓度的氢聚集在裂纹端部,极大地降低了钢的内聚力强度;对于单裂纹,随着裂纹长度的增加,白点萌生的临界氢浓度逐渐减小并趋于稳定值;当多个密集小裂纹同时存在时,裂纹间的耦合效应会导致小裂纹有贯穿形成大裂纹的趋势,而远端裂纹的耦合效应则相对较小;对于多裂纹,白点萌生临界氢浓度具有随裂纹个数的增加而线性递减的趋势。     

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.     

A quantum-mechanically informed continuum model of hydrogen embrittlement

We present a model of hydrogen embrittlement based upon: (i) a cohesive law dependent on impurity coverage that is calculated from first principles; (ii) a stress-assisted diffusion equation with appropriate boundary conditions accounting for the environment; (iii) a static continuum analysis of crack growth including plasticity; and (iv) the Langmuir relation determining the impurity coverage from its bulk concentration. We consider the effect of the following parameters: yield strength, stress intensity factor, hydrogen concentration in the environment, and temperature. The calculations reproduce the following experimental trends: (i) time to initiation and its dependence on yield strength and stress intensity factor; (ii) finite crack jump at initiation; (iii) intermittent crack growth; (iv) stages I and II of crack growth and their dependence on yield strength; (v) the effect of the environmental impurity concentration on the threshold stress intensity factor; and (vi) the effect of temperature on stage II crack velocity in the low-temperature range. In addition, the theoretically and experimentally observed intermittent cracking may be understood as being due to a time lag in the diffusion of hydrogen towards the cohesive zone, since a buildup of hydrogen is necessary in order for the crack to advance. The predictions of the model are in good quantitative agreement with available measurements, suggesting that hydrogen-induced degradation of cohesion is a likely mechanism for hydrogen-assisted cracking.     

Intersonic crack propagation in homogeneous media under shear-dominated loading: theoretical analysis

The mechanics of cohesive failure under mixed-mode loading is investigated for the case of a steadily propagating subsonic and intersonic dynamic crack subjected to a follower tensile and shear distributed load. The cohesive failure model chosen in this study is rate independent but accounts for the coupling between normal and tangential damage. Special emphasis is placed here on mixed-mode cases with predominantly shear loading. The analysis shows that the size of the mixed-mode cohesive zone is smaller than that obtained in the pure shear case. The relative extent of the shear and tensile cohesive damage zones depends on the crack speed and the mode mixity. In the intersonic regime, the failure process takes place exclusively in shear, even under remote mixed-mode loading conditions.     

An experimental and analytical treatment of matrix cracking in cross-ply laminates

The development of damage in cross-ply Hercules AS4/3502 graphite/epoxy laminates has been investigated. Specific endeavors were to identify the mechanisms for initiation and growth of matrix cracks and to determine the effect of matrix cracking on the stiffness loss in cross-ply laminates. Two types of matrix cracks were identified. These include both straight and curved cracks. The experimental study of matrix crack damage revealed that the curved cracks formed after the straight cracks and followed a repeatable pattern of location and orientation relative to the straight cracks. Therefore, it was postulated that the growth mechanism for curved cracks is driven by the stress state resulting from the formation of the straight cracks. This phenomenon was analytically investigated by a finite-element model of straight cracks in a cross-ply laminate. The finite-element results provide supporting evidence for the postulated growth mechanism. The experimental study also revealed that the number of curved cracks increased with the number of consecutive 90-deg plies. Finally, experimental results show as much as 10-percent degradation in axial stiffness due to matrix cracking in cross-ply graphite/epoxy laminates.     

近场动力学框架下钢轨疲劳裂纹萌生预测的数值方法研究

经典连续介质力学在求解由裂纹引起的不连续问题时,会出现数学构架失效的情况.为克服这一难题,基于近场动力学理论,构建铁路钢轨疲劳裂纹萌生的数值预测方法,可实现钢轨疲劳裂纹萌生寿命与位置的预测.当未出现疲劳裂纹时,通过与经典连续介质力学模型的结果对比,验证近场动力学模型的正确性和适用性.分析了车轮全滑动、黏着-滑动和无摩擦三种状态对钢轨疲劳裂纹萌生的影响规律,结果表明:车轮由全滑动向无摩擦转变的过程中,裂纹萌生位置由钢轨表层转移到内部,裂纹萌生所需的荷载循环次数由0.45×10⁷次增至2.05×10⁷次,可见车轮滚滑状态会影响裂纹的萌生位置,并且较大的切向接触应力会显著降低钢轨的疲劳裂纹萌生寿命.     

Interfacial stress analysis and prediction of debonding for a thin plate bonded to a curved substrate

This paper focuses on the analytical and numerical modeling of the interface between a rigid substrate with simple constant curvature and a thin bonded plate. The interfacial behavior is modeled by independent cohesive laws in the normal and tangential directions, coupled with a mixed-mode fracture criterion. The newly developed analytical model determines the interfacial shear and normal stress distributions as functions of the substrate curvature, during the various behavioral stages of the interface prior to the initiation of debonding. The model is also able to predict the debonding load and the effective bond length. In the numerical model the interface is modeled by zero-thickness node-to-segment contact elements, in which both the geometrical relationships between the nodes of the discretized problem and the interface constitutive laws are suitably defined. Numerical results and comparisons between the predictions of the two models are presented.     

A continuum approach to the analysis of the stress field in a fiber reinforced composite with a transverse crack

The stress field in a periodically layered composite with an embedded crack oriented in the normal direction to the layering and subjected to a tensile far-field loading is obtained based on the continuum equations of elasticity. This geometry models the 2D problem of fiber reinforced materials with a transverse crack. The analysis is based on the combination of the representative cell method and the higher-order theory. The representative cell method is employed for the construction of Green’s functions for the displacements jumps along the crack line. The problem of the infinite domain is reduced, in conjunction with the discrete Fourier transform, to a finite domain (representative cell) on which the Born–von Karman type boundary conditions are applied. In the framework of the higher-order theory, the transformed elastic field is determined by a second-order expansion of the displacement vector in terms of local coordinates, in conjunction with the equilibrium equations and these boundary conditions. The accuracy of the proposed approach is verified by a comparison with the analytical solution for a crack embedded in a homogeneous plane.Results show the effects of crack lengths, fiber volume fractions, ratios of fiber to matrix Young’s moduli and matrix Poisson’s ratio on the resulting elastic field at various locations of interest. Comparisons with the predictions obtained from the shear lag theory are presented.     

Dynamic interfacial debonding initiation induced by an incident crack

When a crack propagates towards a weak interface, interface debonding may occur before the incident crack reaches the interface. This phenomenon refers to the “Cook–Gordon mechanism”. In this investigation, an equivalent dynamic Cook–Gordon mechanism is studied both experimentally and analytically. Two strength-based criteria incorporating dynamic fracture mechanics analysis are proposed to predict the initiation location of interface debonding ahead of a dynamic incident crack. As validation, a comparison is made between the analytical predictions and experimental measurements. Results show that the strength-based criteria can effectively predict the initiation of interface debonding. Meanwhile, effects of the stress intensity factor and the T stress of the incident crack, on the interfacial debonding initiation are investigated. It is concluded that high-stress intensity factors of the incident cracks will easily induce interfacial debonding initiation, and changing the T stress is an effective way to control interfacial debonding initiation. Furthermore, high-interfacial tensile strengths rather than shear strengths, tend to suppress interfacial debonding initiation induced by a mode-I incident crack.     

Theoretical development and experimental validation of a thermally dissipative cohesive zone model for dynamic fracture of amorphous polymers

A thermally dissipative cohesive zone model is developed for predicting the temperature increase at the tip of a crack propagating dynamically in a nominally brittle material exhibiting a cohesive-type failure such as crazing. The model assumes that fracture energy supplied to the crack tip region that is in excess of that needed for the creation of new free surfaces during crack advance is converted to heat within the cohesive zone. Bulk dissipation mechanisms, such as plasticity, are not accounted for. Several cohesive traction laws are examined, and the model is then used to make predictions of crack tip heating at various crack propagation speeds in the nominally brittle amorphous polymer PMMA, observed to fail by a crazing-type mechanism. The heating predictions are compared to experimental data where the temperature field surrounding a high speed crack in PMMA was measured. Measurements are made in real time using a multi-point high speed HgCdTe infrared radiation detector array. At the same time as temperature, simultaneous measurement of fracture energy is made by a strain gauge technique, and crack tip speed is monitored through a resistance ladder method. Material strength can be estimated through uniaxial tension tests, thus minimizing the need for parameter fitting in the stress-opening traction law. Excellent agreement between experiments and theory is found for two of the cohesive traction law temperature predictions, but only for the case where a single craze is active during the dynamic fracture of PMMA, i.e. crack tip speed up to approximately 0.2c_R. For higher speed fracture where subsurface damage becomes prominent, the line dissipation model of a cohesive zone is inadequate, and a distributed damage model is needed.     

FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING OF COMPLEX 3D STATIC AND DYNAMIC CRACK PROPAGATION BY EMBEDDING COHESIVE ELEMENTS IN ABAQUS

<正>This study proposes an algorithm of embedding cohesive elements in Abaqus and develops the computer code to model 3D complex crack propagation in quasi-brittle materials in a relatively easy and efficient manner.The cohesive elements with softening traction-separation relations and damage initiation and evolution laws are embedded between solid elements in regions of interest in the initial mesh to model potential cracks.The initial mesh can consist of tetrahedrons,wedges,bricks or a mixture of these elements.Neither remeshing nor objective crack propagation criteria are needed.Four examples of concrete specimens,including a wedge-splitting test,a notched beam under torsion,a pull-out test of an anchored cylinder and a notched beam under impact,were modelled and analysed.The simulated crack propagation processes and load-displacement curves agreed well with test results or other numerical simulations for all the examples using initial meshes with reasonable densities.Making use of Abaqus's rich pre/post-processing functionalities and powerful standard/explicit solvers,the developed method offers a practical tool for engineering analysts to model complex 3D fracture problems.     

Mixed-mode I/II fields around a crack with a cohesive zone ahead of the crack tip

Considering a cohesive zone ahead of the crack tip, the linear elastic crack problem under Mode I, Mode II or mixed-mode conditions is formulated in an elliptic coordinate system, so that the cohesive surfaces are conveniently represented by straight line segments. It is shown that the displacement and stress fields around the crack tip and the cohesive zone, expressed in terms of elliptic coordinates, have a simple mathematical form, which does not contain a stress singularity at the crack tip due to the existence of the cohesive zone.     

Thermodynamic-based cohesive zone healing model for self-healing materials

This work presents a thermodynamic-based cohesive zone framework to model healing in materials that tend to self-heal. The nominal, healing and effective configurations of continuum damage-healing mechanics are extended to represent cohesive zone configurations. To incorporate healing in a cohesive zone model, the principle of virtual power is used to derive the local static/dynamic macroforce balance and the boundary traction as well as the damage and healing microforce balances. A thermodynamic framework for constitutive modeling of damage and healing mechanisms of cracks is used to derive the evolution equations for the damage and healing internal state variables. The effects of temperature, resting time, crack closure, history of healing and damage, and level of damage on the healing behavior of the cohesive zone are incorporated. The proposed model promises solid basis for understanding the self-healing phenomena in self-healing materials.     

Why continuum damage is nonlocal: Justification by quasiperiodic microcrack array

Strain-softening damage due to distributed cracking is modeled by an elastic continuum with a quasiperiodic array of cracks of regular spacing but varying sizes. As a model for the initial stage, the cracks are penny-shaped and small compared to their spacing, and as a model for the terminal stage the uncracked ligaments between the cracks are circular and small compared to their spacing. The strain due to cracks and the compliance per crack are calculated. The cracked material is homogenized in such a manner that the macroscopic continuum strains satisfy exactly the condition of compatibility with the actual strains due to cracks, and the macroscopic continuum stress satisfies exactly the condition of work equivalence with the actual stresses in the cracked material. The results show that, contrary to the existing theories, the damage variable used in continuum damage mechanics should be nonlocal, while the elastic part of the response should be local. In particular, the nonlocal continuum damage should be considered as a function of the spatial average of the cracking strain rather than its local value. The size of the averaging region is determined by the crack spacing.     

Three-dimensional mixed-mode stress intensity factors for cracks in functionally graded materials using enriched finite elements

Three-dimensional enriched finite elements are used to compute mixed-mode stress intensity factors (SIFs) for three-dimensional cracks in elastic functionally graded materials (FGMs) that are subject to general mixed-mode loading and constraint conditions. The method, which advantageously does not require special mesh configuration/modifications and post-processing of finite element results, is an enhancement of previous developments applied so far on isotropic homogeneous and isotropic interface cracks. The spatial variation of FGM material properties is taken into account at the level of element integration points. To validate the developed method, two- and three-dimensional mixed-mode fracture problems are selected from the literature for comparison. Two-dimensional cases include: inclined central crack in a large FGM medium under uniform tensile strain and stress loadings, a slanted crack in a finite-size FGM plate under exponentially varying tensile stress loading and an edge crack in a finite-size plate under shear traction load. The three-dimensional example models a deflected surface crack in a finite-size FGM plate under uniform tensile stress loading. Comparisons between current results and those from analytical and other numerical methods yield good agreement. Thus, it is concluded that the developed three-dimensional enriched finite elements are capable of accurately computing mixed-mode fracture parameters for cracks in FGMs.     

混凝土黏聚开裂模型若干进展

黏聚模型是用来描述混凝土断裂行为的基本模型, 首先介绍了混凝土的黏聚开裂模型的基本概念,总结了确定黏聚区的本构方程的各种方法,即直接单轴拉伸测试、J积分方法、R曲线法、柔度法和逆推法.然后介绍了黏聚模型在I型和复合型裂纹问题、疲劳断裂问题中的应用以及黏聚模型与混凝土尺寸效应的关系.最后对黏聚开裂模型与桥联模型、带状裂缝模型进行了比较和总结, 指出了该模型存在的问题, 并对其以后的发展方向提出了建议.