Crack propagation calculation using trial cracks

We present a method to perform finite element calculations for crack propagation problems with arbitrary crack directions in two dimensions. The crack direction (angle of propagation) is determined by inserting small “trial cracks” at the crack tip. For each trial crack, the domain is remeshed to allow crack propagation between elements. The trial cracks are then opened and the energy release rate is measured. The optimum crack direction (i.e., the crack direction with maximum energy release) is determined by an optimisation procedure. Although the method is computationally expensive due to the need to perform several calculations for each crack increment, it has the advantage that the energy release rate can be calculated even in cases where other methods fail. After explaining the method, it is applied to some test examples. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A computational framework of three dimensional configurational-force-driven crack propagation

A variational formulation of quasi-static brittle fracture is considered and a new finite-element-based computational framework is developed for propagation of cracks in three-dimensional bodies. We outline a consistent thermodynamical framework for crack propagation in elastic solids and show that the crack propagation direction associated with the classical Griffith criterion is identified by the material configurational force which maximizes the local dissipation at the crack front. The evolving crack discontinuity is realized by the doubling of critical nodes and triangular interface facets of the tetrahedral mesh. The crucial step for the success of the procedure is its embedding into an r-adaptive crack-facet reorientation procedure based on configurational-force-based indicators in conjunction with crack front constraints. We further propose a staggered algorithm which minimizes the stored energy at frozen crack state followed by the successive crack releases at frozen deformation. This constitutes a sequence of positive definite subproblems with successively decreasing overall stiffness, providing a very robust algorithmic setting in the postcritical range. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

椭圆孔边裂纹对SH波的散射及其动应力强度因子

采用复变函数和Green函数方法求解具有任意有限长度的椭圆孔边上的径向裂纹对SH波的散射和裂纹尖端处的动应力强度因子．取含有半椭圆缺口的弹性半空间水平表面上任意一点承受时间谐和的出平面线源荷载作用时的位移解作为Green函数,采用裂纹“切割”方法,并根据连续条件建立起问题的定解积分方程,得到动应力强度因子的封闭解答．讨论了孔洞的存在对动应力强度因子的影响．     

PROCRACK-A Software Tool for Finite Element Simulation of Three-Dimensional Fatigue Crack Growth

The lifetime of structural components is limited by fatigue cracks. After initiation from an existing defect the crack grows subcritically until it reaches a critical size. At this point it becomes unstable and the structural component fails. PROCRACK is a powerful tool that enables the commercial finite element software Abaqus to calculate the crack propagation in pre-cracked components. The complete capability of Abaqus can be used to simulate nearly arbitrary geometries. Abaqus/CAE is used for the three-dimensional modeling of the initial crack at a geometrical level by means of points, lines and triangles. The numerical analysis is performed by Abaqus/Standard. PROCRACK automatically generates a tube-shaped submodel around the crack front to calculate the stress intensity factors with high accuracy. The Paris law or the NASGRO equation can be used to calculate the incremental crack growth. The shape of the crack and the finite element mesh are updated in every crack growth step. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Exact solution of four cracks originating from an elliptical hole in one-dimensional hexagonal quasicrystals

Based on the Stroh-type formalism for anti-plane deformation, the fracture mechanics of four cracks originating from an elliptical hole in a one-dimensional hexagonal quasicrystal are investigated under remotely uniform anti-plane shear loadings. The boundary value problem is reduced to Cauchy integral equations by a new mapping function, which is further solved analytically. The exact solutions in closed-form of the stress intensity factors for mode III crack problem are obtained. In the limiting cases, the well known results can be obtained from the present solutions. Moreover, new exact solutions for some complicated defects including three edge cracks originating from an elliptical hole, a half-plane with an edge crack originating from a half-elliptical hole, a half-plane with an edge crack originating from a half-circular hole are derived. In the absence of the phason field, the obtainable results in this paper match with the classical ones.     

On the peculiarities of a crack growth path in anisotropic solid

One of the possibilities to increase the resistance of a structure to catastrophic fracture is to force a main line crack to deviate from its path. In this connection the influence of the elastic moduli of an anisotropic material on the possibilities of crack rotation are studied. In particular a linear elastic problem for a straight Mode I crack, located on a symmetry axis of an orthotropic plane is considered. The strength properties of the material are supposed to be isotropic. For studying a direction of a crack growth path several crack models are considered. It is shown that a thin elongated elliptical hole as a crack model leads to more plausible results concerning crack rotation conditions than an ideal cut model. The maximal tensile stresses are taken as a crack growth criterion. It is shown that for some class of orthotropic materials a crack deviates from the straight path just after it starts to grow even in the conditions of uniaxial normal tension. The problem of the stability of a straight crack path under Mode I loading is also considered. This problem is reduced to the problem of the fracture direction determination for thin elongated elliptical cavity slightly inclined to the initial direction. In the frame of the proposed approach the conditions of instability are obtained. It is shown that for some class of orthotropic materials a straight crack path is unstable in the conditions of uniaxial normal tension. This class of materials is wider than one for which a crack deviates from the straight crack path just after its start. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

含埋藏椭圆形裂纹的金属构件脉冲放电瞬间温度场分析

对带有椭圆埋藏裂纹金属构件在脉冲放电瞬间的温度场进行了理论分析．在带有裂纹问题温度场的理论求解中,根据相似性原理,将电流通过带有椭圆面裂纹导体类比于流体流过障碍物的情形,从而引入了裂纹的边界条件,得到域内电流密度的分布,进而得到了放电瞬间埋藏椭圆裂纹尖端的温度场表达式,为空间裂纹电磁热止裂技术的实际应用提供了理论基础．     

Identification of the material symmetries with anisotropic damage evolution due to a growing mixed-mode crack

A numerical study of a growing mixed-mode internal crack in a unit cell was undertaken with the help of a finite element simulation. The model enables us to measure the components of the elastic compliance tensor modified by damage as the crack grows, showing the evolution of the anisotropic damage and the evolution of the type of material symmetries. The evolution of the elasticity tensor shows that the damage associated with a growing elliptical crack changes the virgin isotropic properties into orthotropic ones and by crack growth the axes of orthotropic symmetry, initially aligned with the local coordinates of the crack, rotate towards the principle loading axes. Crack propagation is simulated using the stepwise method, which consists of the succession of straight segments and crack growth is governed by the principle of maximum driving force which is a direct consequence of the variational principle of a cracked body in equilibrium and considers the effect of all three stress intensity factors. Without any ad hoc assumption, the crack growth rate is calculated using its thermodynamic duality with the local maximum driving force. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Bayesian prediction of crack growth based on a hierarchical diffusion model

A general Bayesian approach for stochastic versions of deterministic growth models is presented to provide predictions for crack propagation in an early stage of the growth process. To improve the prediction, the information of other crack growth processes is used in a hierarchical (mixed‐effects) model. Two stochastic versions of a deterministic growth model are compared. One is a nonlinear regression setup where the trajectory is assumed to be the solution of an ordinary differential equation with additive errors. The other is a diffusion model defined by a stochastic differential equation where increments have additive errors. While Bayesian prediction is known for hierarchical models based on nonlinear regression, we propose a new Bayesian prediction method for hierarchical diffusion models. Six growth models for each of the two approaches are compared with respect to their ability to predict the crack propagation in a large data example. Surprisingly, the stochastic differential equation approach has no advantage concerning the prediction compared with the nonlinear regression setup, although the diffusion model seems more appropriate for crack growth. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

点群6一维六方准晶椭圆孔口与半无限裂纹反平面弹性问题的解析解

导出了点群6-维六方准晶反平面弹性问题的控制方程.利用复变方法,给出了点群6-维六方准晶在周期平面内的反平面弹性问题的应力分量以及边界条件的复变表示,通过引入适当的保角变换,研究了点群6-维六方准晶中带有椭圆孔口与半无限裂纹的反平面弹性问题,得到了椭圆孔口问题应力场的解析解,给出了半无限裂纹问题在裂纹尖端处的应力强度因子的解析解.在极限情形下,椭圆孔口转化为Griffith裂纹,并得到该裂纹在裂尖处的应力强度因子的解析解.当点群6-维六方准晶体的对称性增加时,其椭圆孔口与半无限裂纹的反平面弹性问题的解退化为点群6mm-维六方准晶带有椭圆孔口与半无限裂纹的反平面弹性问题的解。     

Three-Dimensional Variational Analysis of Composite Structures Using Bernstein Polynomial Approximations. Report 2

The application of the previously developed 3D varionational analysis approach to the investigation of crack propagation in composite bonded joints is presented. In this application, the propagation of three different types of a 2D planar crack (adhesive, cohesive, and interfacial) is modeled by relaxing the respective continuity conditions for displacements between adjacent bricks in the mosaic structure. The crack propagation process is then characterized by the release rate of the total potential energy between two consecutive states of the mosaic body with different crack lengths. Numerical examples illustrate the 3D analysis of double-lap adhesively bonded joints with unidirectional and cross-ply laminated composite adherends. The numerical results provide an illustration of various characteristics of the crack propagation process. The values of the ultimate failure load predicted by analyzing the initial stage of crack propagation are found to be in a good agreement with experimental data.     

任意形状孔口单边裂纹问题的边界配位解法

本文提出了一组复应力函数,采用边界配位方法对不同形状孔口(包括圆、椭圆、矩形及菱形孔口)的单边裂纹平板的应力强度因子进行了计算.计算结果表明,对长度和宽度远大于孔口和裂纹几何尺寸的试件,配位法与用其他方法所得的无限大板含圆或椭圆孔边裂纹问题的解符合得很好.同时,对其他孔口问题,特别是有限大板情形,本文给出了一系列计算结果.本文所提出的函数及计算过程可以应用于任意形状孔口单边裂纹平板的计算.     

Computation of crack propagation in 3-dimensional anisotropic solids

This contribution presents ideas, how crack propagation in three-dimensional solids composed of anisotropic materials can be predicted using the Griffith energy principle. Since the work of Irwin the change of potential energy caused by a straight elongation of a crack in an isotropic two-dimensional homogeneous structure can be expressed in quadratic terms of the stress intensities at the crack tip. This result was generalized in the last decades using methods of asymptotic analysis by many authors [1] to more complicated geometries, to anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials. With the energy release rate at hand, quasi-static scenarios of crack propagation can be simulated for plane problems [2], but this is still a complicated task for three-dimensional problems [3]. We show an idea how the change of energy caused by propagation of a crack surface in a fully three-dimensional solid of nearly arbitrary shape can be computed in anisotropic materials. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrostrictive stresses near crack-like flaws

Slit cracks in purely dielectric material systems do not perturb any applied uniform electric field. Furthermore, when the dielectric is unconstrained and does not support any conducting plates or mechanical loads, there are no additional mechanical stresses generated in the material upon introduction of the crack. This situation applies to both electrostrictive and piezoelectric materials. However, flaws which have finite thickness such as thin elliptical or ellipsoidal voids will cause severe inhomogeneous concentration of the electric field. In turn, this can generate substantial mechanical stress from electrostrictive or piezoelectric sources. The effect of an elliptical through flaw in an infinite isotropic body is considered. It is found that, in the case of thin ellipses, the near flaw tip mechanical stresses approximate the singular stresses near a slit crack with an equivalent stress intensity factor. In that sense, the flaw may be considered as a slit crack and treated in terms of linear elastic fracture mechanics. However, except for impermeable and conducting flaws, the value of the equivalent stress intensity factor depends on the aspect ratio of the flaw. As the aspect ratio of the flaw diminishes, the magnitude of the equivalent stress intensity factor falls and disappears in the limit of a slit crack. The results are used to show that a flaw-like crack in a material with a very high dielectric constant can be treated by fracture mechanics as an impermeable slit crack when the flaw aspect ratio is an order of magnitude greater than the ratio of dielectric permittivities (flaw value divided by the value for the surrounding material).     

Analysis of arbitrarily shaped planar cracks in two-dimensional hexagonal quasicrystals with thermal effects. Part II: Numerical solutions

The extended displacement discontinuity (EDD) boundary element method is developed to analyze an arbitrarily shaped planar crack in two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal quasicrystals (QCs) with thermal effects. The EDDs include the phonon and phason displacement discontinuities and the temperature discontinuity on the crack face. Green's functions for uniformly distributed EDDs over triangular and rectangular elements for 2D hexagonal QCs are derived. Employing the proposed EDD boundary element method, a rectangular crack is analyzed to verify the Green's functions by discretizing the crack with rectangular and triangular elements. Furthermore, the elliptical crack problem for 2D hexagonal QCs is investigated. Normal, tangential, and thermal loads are applied on the crack face, and the numerical results are presented graphically.     

Energy driven crack propagation at finite strains based on the embedded strong discontinuity approach

New advances in three-dimensional finite element modeling of crack propagation at finite strains are presented. The proposed numerical model is based on the Enhanced Assumed Strain concept. The enhanced part of the deformation gradient is associated with a displacement discontinuity. In contrast to previous works, a new, energy based criterion for crack propagation is presented. The necessity for a tracking algorithm for the crack path is avoided by using more than one discontinuity within each finite element. This leads to a strictly local formulation, i.e., no information about the neighboring elements are required. Further advantages of such a formulation are a symmetric tangent stiffness matrix and the reduction of locking effects. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

无限大板包含任意排列多个椭圆孔洞的应力集中和多裂纹的应力强度因子计算

对于无限平面上任意排列的多个椭圆孔的应力集中,采用复变函数方法,直接构造能够反映各孔相互影响的应力函数,通过依次映射方法来满足各孔的边界条件,再利用围线积分方法化为线性代数方程求解.对于裂纹情况,将裂纹化为相应的椭圆,通过应力集中系数近似求得应力强度因子值.文中给出若干计算结果.