Strain energy approach to compute stress intensity factors for isotropic homogeneous and bi-material V-notches

A strain energy approach (SEA) is developed to compute the general stress intensity factors (SIFs) for isotropic homogeneous and bi-material plates containing cracks and notches subject to mode I, II and III loading conditions. The approach is based on the strain energy of a control volume around the notch tip, which may be computed by using commercial finite element packages. The formulae are simple and easy to implement. Various numerical examples are presented and compared to corresponding published results or results that are computed using different numerical methods to demonstrate the accuracy of the SEA. Many of those results are new, especially for the cases of bi-material notches where the problem is quite complicated.     

Comparison of energy release rate and minimum strain energy density for potential failure of composite with bi-material interface

An analytical method is developed to describe the fields of stress and displacement in a bi-material strip specimen with an edge interfacial crack. All of the basic governing equations, boundary conditions on crack surfaces and conditions of continuity along the interface are satisfied by the eigenfunction expansion method. The other boundary conditions are satisfied by the generalized variational principle. The stress intensity factors are calculated for determining the energy release rate and minimum strain energy density factor S_min that is used the strain energy density criterion. Problems with oscillatory singularity and contact zone are discussed. Not only the effects of bi-material modulus ratio, thickness ratio, Poisson's ratio and crack length to S_min, but also the influences of bi-material modulus ratio, thickness ratio to phase angle are presented. Among these parameters, particular situations where S_min become jeopardously high and lead to failure are discussed.     

Interaction of a screw dislocation with a notch in a piezoelectric bi-material

Summary The electro-elastic interaction of a screw dislocation and a notch in a piezoelectric bi-material is analyzed. The electro-elastic fields induced by the dislocation are derived using the conformal mapping and the image-dislocation approach, where the solution for a piezoelectric bi-material without a notch is used as a base. The stress and the electric displacement intensity factors of the notch and the image force on the dislocation are given explicitly. We find that intensity factors are expressed in terms of the effective material constants, while the radial component of the image force is independent of the notch angle and the angular position of the dislocation in the polar coordinate system. Numerical results for the image force are provided for the use when one of the two media is purely elastic. They illustrate the behavior of the dislocation in the neighborhood of the notch.     

Triaxial compressive behavior of rock with mesoscopic heterogenous behavior: Strain energy density factor approach

The strain energy density factor approach is used in conjunction with a micromechanics model to investigate the condition and direction of shear failure for brittle rock subjected to triaxial compression. Moderate confinement in addition to localized deformation and damage are considered. Quantified are the effects of the various geometric and load parameters that involve the interaction of microcrack, friction and the confining pressure such that the path of the wing crack is taken into account. The influence of all microcracks with different orientations are introduced into the constitutive relation. The closed-form solution for the complete stress–strain relation of rock containing microcracks is obtained. It is shown that the complete stress–strain relationship includes linear, nonlinear hardening, rapid stress drop and strain softening effects. The theoretical results show that deviation of the direction of wing cracks from the line of the pre-existing crack decreases with increasing confinement pressure and friction coefficient. Theoretical predictions and experimental results show good agreement.     

Fatigue life prediction of welded cruciform joints using strain energy density factor approach

The influences of two welding processes, namely, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and flux cored arc welding (FCAW), on fatigue life of cruciform joints containing lack of penetration (LOP) defects have been analyzed by using the strain energy density factor (SEDF) approach. Load carrying cruciform joints were fabricated from ASTM 517 ‘F’ grade steel. Fatigue crack growth experiments were carried out in a mechanical resonance vertical pulsator (SCHENCK 200 kN capacity) with a frequency of 30 Hz under constant amplitude loading (R=0). It was found that the fatigue lives of the cruciform joints fabricated by SMAW process were relatively higher than the FCAW counterpart. Moreover, fracture mechanics equations have been developed to predict the fatigue life of the cruciform joints fabricated by the above-mentioned two processes.     

Fatigue life prediction of out-of-plane gusset welded joints using strain energy density factor approach

Fatigue growth behavior of out-of-plane gusset welded joints is studied using the strain energy density factor approach. Fatigue tests on two types of specimens with curvatures of ρ = 0 and ρ = 30 were performed in order to estimate fatigue strength under tension. Fatigue crack growth analysis is carried out to show the effects of initial crack shape, initial crack length and stress ratio. Fatigue crack growth parameters were obtained from crack growth curves assuming constant crack shapes. The results of analysis for the assumed crack shapes agreed well with the experimental data. Fatigue propagation life of the ρ = 30 specimen was larger than that of the ρ = 0 specimen.     

Stress multiaxiality factor for crack growth prediction using the strain energy density theory

The multiaxiality factor defined as the ratio of the von-Misses equivalent stress to the volumetric stress has been reported to be related to the initiation and progression of failure in structures. It is demonstrated in the present paper that the location around the crack tip where the multiaxiality factor obtains minimum value is an indicator of the direction of minimum material fracture resistance for crack propagation. It is also proposed that the location along the direction of crack propagation path where multiaxiality factor obtains minimum value is considered as the critical distance away from the crack tip, where the strain energy density should be evaluated and compared to its critical value. Theoretical predictions correlate well with the test results for the investigated cases.     

Strain energy density of a circular cavity buried in semi-infinite functionally graded materials subjected to shear waves

In this paper, based on the theory of multiple scattering of elastic waves, employing wave functions expansion method, multiple scattering and strain energy density in semi-infinite functional graded materials with a circular cavity are investigated, the analytical solution of the problem is derived, and the numerical solution of the strain energy density factors around the cavity is also presented. The effects of the distance between the cavity and the edge of the materials, the wave number and the non-homogeneous parameter of materials on strain energy density factors are analyzed. From analysis, it can be seen that when the non-homogeneous parameter of materials is less than zero, it has less influence on the maximum strain energy density factor around the cavity; however, it has greater influence on the distribution of strain energy density factors around the cavity. When the non-homogeneous parameter of materials is greater than zero, it has greater influence on both the maximum strain energy density factor and the distribution of strain energy density factor around the cavity, especially in the case that the distance between the cavity and the edge is comparatively little.     

Fatigue life prediction of in-plane gusset welded joints using strain energy density factor approach

Fatigue crack growth behavior of in-plane gusset welded joints is studied using the strain energy density factor approach. Fatigue tests were performed in order to estimate fatigue strength under tension. Fatigue crack growth analysis was carried out to show the effects of the initial crack shape, the initial crack length, and the stress ratio on the crack types of in-plane gusset welded joints. The assumed crack types were edge crack, semi-elliptical crack, and corner crack. Fatigue crack growth parameters were obtained from crack growth curves assuming constant crack shapes for the given crack types. The results of analysis for the assumed crack types agreed well with the experimental data. The fatigue life did not change as initial crack shape varied for a given initial crack length.     

A review of the volume-based strain energy density approach applied to V-notches and welded structures

A large bulk of experimental data from static tests of sharp and blunt V-notches and from fatigue tests of welded joints are presented in an unified way by using the mean value of the Strain Energy Density (SED) over a given finite-size volume surrounding the highly stressed regions. When the notch is blunt, the control area assumes a crescent shape and R₀ is its width as measured along the notch bisector line. In plane problems, when cracks or pointed V-notches are considered, the volume becomes a circle or a circular sector, respectively. The radius R₀ depends on material fracture toughness, ultimate tensile strength and Poisson’s ratio in the case of static loads; it depends on the fatigue strength Δσ_A of the butt ground welded joints and the Notch Stress Intensity Factor (NSIF) range ΔK₁ in the case of welded joints under high cycle fatigue loading (with Δσ_A and ΔK₁ valid for 5 × 10⁶ cycles).Dealing with welded joints characterised by a plate thickness greater than 6 mm, the final synthesis based on SED summarises nine hundred data taken from the literature while a new synthesis from spot-welded joints under tension and shear loading, characterised by a limited thickness of the main plate, is presented here for the first time (more than two hundred data).Dealing with static tests, about one thousand experimental data as taken from the recent literature are involved in the synthesis. The strong variability of the non-dimensional radius R/R₀, ranging from about zero to about 1000, makes the check of the approach based on the mean value of the SED severe.     

Fatigue growth prediction of elliptical cracks in welded joint structure: Hybrid and energy density approach

A hybrid weight function approach (HWFM) is presented for the fatigue life prediction of infinite body and welded joint structure containing elliptical cracks. A self-containing computer code has been developed for this purpose. Numerical computations were first conducted on cracked infinite body showing a physical fact, that the elliptical shape of the crack becomes circular during its evolution. The prediction of the fatigue crack growth shows that the present results are in perfect concordance with those reported in the literature. Then, numerical tests were carried out on two types of specimens of welded joint structure. The present results were compared to the experimental and predicted ones of other authors, demonstrating that the hybridization method is a powerful numerical technique, and that the SEDF approach (using the Sih’s law) is more valid for the critical cases of welded joints than the SIF approach (using the Paris law). A parametric study has been conducted on the stress ratio “R” showing that the fatigue life to failure decreases with the increase of “R”.     

和界面接触的刚性线夹杂对SH波的散射

利用积分变换方法,得出了两相材料中单位简谐力的格林函数。根据简谐集中力的格林函数得出了和界面接触的刚性线的散射场。利用无穷积分的性质,把和界面接触刚性线的散射场分解为奇异部分和有界部分。通过分解后的散射场建立了和界面接触剐性线在SH波作用下的Cauchy型奇异积分方程。根据所得奇异积分方程和刚性线的散射场得到了刚性线端点的奇异性阶数及奇性应力。应用刚性线端点的奇性应力定义了刚性线端点的应力奇异因子。对所得Cauchy型奇异积分方程的数值求解,可得刚性线端点的应力奇异因子。     

Equivalence of the notch stress intensity factor,tip opening displacement and energy release rate for a sharp V-notch

For an infinite elastic plane with a sharp V-notch under the action of symmetrically loading at infinity, the length of crack initiation ahead of the V-notch’s tip is estimated according to a modified Griffith approach. Applying a new conservation integral to the perfectly plastic strip (Dugdale model) ahead of the V-notch’s tip, the relationship between notch stress intensity factor (NSIF) and notch tip opening displacement (NTOD) is presented. Also, the relationship between NSIF and perfectly plastic strip size (PPSS) is found. Since there are three fracture parameters (NSIF, NTOD, and PPSS) with changeable notch opening angle in two basic relationships, it is necessary to select one critical parameter with changeable notch opening angle or two independent critical parameters, respectively. With the help of a characteristic length, it is found by this new conservation integral that the NSIF, NTOD and energy release rate are equivalent in the case of small-scale yielding. Especially, the characteristic length possesses clear physical meaning and, for example, depends on both the critical NSIF and SIF or both the NTOD and CTOD, respectively, in which SIF and CTOD are from the tip of a crack degenerated from the sharp V-notch. The dependence of NSIF on NTOD and PPSS is presented according to the equivalence, and the critical NSIF depending on the critical NTOD with a notch opening angle is also predicted.     

Rate dependent critical strain energy density factor of Huanglong limestone

Critical strain energy density of rock can be defined as a fundamental parameter in rock fracture mechanics, an intrinsic material property related to resistance to crack initiation and propagation. By means of the three-point bending experiments, the critical strain energy density factor of Huanglong limestone was measured over a wide range of loading rates from 8.97 × 10⁻⁴ MPam^1/2 s⁻¹ to 1.545 MPam^1/2 s⁻¹. According to the approximate relationship between static and dynamic critical strain energy density factor of Huanglong limestone, relationship between the growth velocity of crack and magnitude of load is obtained. The main conclusions are summarized as follows: (1) when the loading rate is higher than 0.0279 MPam^1/2 s⁻¹, the critical strain energy density factor of rock increased markedly with increasing loading rate. However, when loading rate is lower than 0.0279 MPam^1/2 s⁻¹, the critical strain energy density factor slightly increased with an increase in loading rate. It is found from experimental results that the critical strain energy density factor is linear proportional to the exponential expression of loading rate, (2) for Huanglong limestone, when the growth velocity of crack is lower than 100 m/s, value of the maximum load was nearly a constant. However, when the growth velocity of crack is higher than 1000 m/s, value of the maximum load dramatically increases with increasing the crack growth velocity, and (3) the critical SED of Huanglong limestone is higher as the loading rate is higher.     

Stress concentration factors of periodic notches determined from the strain energy density

Stress concentration factors (SCFs) of a number of flat plates and round bars with periodic U- and V-notches are evaluated. Tension, bending and torsion loadings are considered in the investigation. The main objective of the investigation is to take advantage of the local strain energy density (SED) averaged on a control volume surrounding the tip of the middle notch and to estimate the SCF of each component by using a relatively coarse mesh. The unique advantage of SED method is the most prominent application of such a technique in the current study. Systematic FE simulations by considering a wide range of notch acuity and relative frequency of periodic U- and V-notch components are performed. More than two hundred and fifty models have been examined. The results of this study are compared with those provided by other researchers in the past and recent literature. Two new expressions of the notch depth reduction factor for the case of normal stresses (tension and bending) and torsion are also proposed to match the results from SED approach.     

Thermal response of a partially insulated interface crack in a graded coating-substrate structure under thermo-mechanical disturbance: Energy release and density

Consider the thermal fracture problem of a functionally graded coating-substrate structure of finite thickness with a partially insulated interface crack subjected to thermal-mechanical supply. A new model is proposed that the heat conduction through the crack region occurs and the temperature drop across the crack surfaces is the result of the thermal resistance. For the first time, real fundamental solutions are derived for the fracture analysis of functionally graded materials. The complicated mixed boundary problems of equations of heat conduction and elasticity are converted analytically into singular integral equations, which are solved numerically. The asymptotic expressions with higher order terms for the singular integral kernels are considered to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the numerical integration. Explicit expressions of various failure modes including stress intensity factors, energy release rate and strain energy density, are provided. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the effects of non-homogeneity parameters and the dimensionless thermal resistance on the temperature distribution along the crack surfaces and extended crack line, the thermal stress intensity factors and minimum strain energy density.     

Cracking simulation of a tubesheet under different loadings

For shell-and-tube heat exchangers, tubesheet cracking is a major failure form. Owing to complicated structures, loadings and environments, mechanisms for the crack nucleation and propagation often puzzle engineers and as a result, it is hard to take effective measures to prevent this kind of failure from happening again. In this paper, three dimensional finite element models were established to investigate a real tubesheet cracking with the emphasis on the driving forces for the crack propagation from a fracture mechanics point of view. Three different loadings, namely residual expansion stress, crack face pressure and transverse pressure, and three crack growth patterns were considered. In order to obtain the residual stresses, the hydraulic expanding process of tube-to-tubesheet joint was simulated. Residual contact pressures between the tube and tubesheet and the induced residual stress distributions in the tubesheet were computed. The possibility for crack propagation in the tubesheet under the action of the different loadings was investigated in terms of the strain energy density factor. Results show that surface crack propagation may be driven by all the three loadings especially the transverse pressure. But when surface cracks come into the interior of the tubesheet along the thickness, as acted along the whole tubesheet thickness, the residual expansion stress would play key roles in crack propagation.     

Crack energy density of a piezoelectric material under general electromechanical loading

Crack energy density is considered and used as a possible fracture parameter in piezoelectricity under arbitrary electromechanical remote loads. The closed-form solution of a crack in a piezoelectric infinite plate subjected to general static electromechanical loading is obtained through a method alternative to the more common Stroh’s formalism. This analytical method, which is based on the spectral theorem of linear algebra, involves a transformation of similarity induced by the fundamental matrix in order to express the equations governing the problem in terms of complex potentials. The application of the mechanical boundary condition of stress-free crack and of one of the three considered electric boundary conditions (impermeable, permeable or semipermeable) leads then to the formulation of a Hilbert problem whose solution yields the stress and displacement fields. The crack energy density factors for mixed mode are then calculated under different mechanical and electrical loadings, as well as under different electric boundary conditions. The non-singular terms of the stress expressions are retained as well. The definition of the minimum energy density fracture criterion, as proposed by Sih, is given, and the influence of load biaxiality and positive or negative applied electric field on the criterion results is analyzed. The prediction of the incipient branching angle as from the energy density approach is also compared to that arising from the maximum circumferential stress theory for a mixed mode loading condition. Numerical results and graphs are presented and discussed for a PZT-4 piezoelectric ceramic.     

On partial sliding along a planar crack: the case of a circular sliding zone

Summary A problem of partial sliding along a planar crack with a local drop in frictional resistance is investigated. A sliding zone initiates in the area of reduced friction, and then propagates as the applied shear load is monotonously increased. The problem is formulated in general terms, and then solved for the case when sliding spreads as a penny-shaped zone. Conditions under which the front of the zone stays circular during sliding are analyzed. It is observed that the axisymmetry of the profile of frictional resistance does not necessarily guarantee uniform propagation of sliding in the radial direction. The circular shape becomes the most favorable growth condition only if the shear modes are related in a certain way. The problem is studied based on the criterion of propagation that stress intensity factors(SIFs) for II and III modes vanish on the boundary of the sliding zone. The singular integrals in expressions for the SIFs are reduced to non-singular ones. Analytical solutions are derived for a number of special cases where the radius of the sliding zone is related to the applied shear load.This work is supported by the National Science Foundation through grant DGE-0209543 to the University of New Mexico.     

Constitutive modeling of isotropic hyperelastic materials in an exponential framework using a self-contained approach

In this paper, an exponential framework for strain energy density functions of elastomers and soft biological tissues is proposed. Based on this framework and using a self-contained approach that is different from a guesswork or combination viewpoint, a set strain energy density functions in terms of the first and second strain invariants is rebuilt. Among the constructed options for strain energy density, a new exponential and mathematically justified model is examined. This model benefits from the existence of second strain invariant, simplicity, stability of parameters, and the state of being accurate. This model can capture strain softening, strain hardening and is able to differentiate between various deformation-state dependent responses of elastomers and soft tissues undergoing finite deformation. The model has two material parameters and the mathematical formulation is simple to render the possibility of numerical implementations. In order to investigate the appropriateness of the proposed model in comparison to other hyperelastic models, several experimental data for incompressible isotropic materials (elastomers) such as VHB 4905 (polyacrylate rubber), two various silicone rubbers, synthetic rubber neoprene, two different natural rubbers, b186 rubber (a carbon black-filled rubber), Yeoh vulcanizate rubber, and finally porcine liver tissue (a very soft biological tissue) are examined. The results demonstrate that the proposed model provides an acceptable prediction of the behavior of elastomers and soft tissues under large deformation for different applied loading states.