Energy functional derivative with respect to the length of a curvilinear oblique cut in the equilibrium problem for a Timoshenko plate

This paper describes the dependence of the solution of the equilibrium problem for a Timoshenko plate and the total energy functional of the plate on the perturbation of an oblique crack. The nonlinearity of the problem is caused by the boundary conditions in the form of inequalities (conditions such as the Signorini conditions), which describe mutual nonpenetration of the opposite crack faces. The continuous dependence of the solution of the problem on the perturbation of the crack length is established. A formula for the energy functional derivative of the perturbation of the crack length is obtained.     

Differentiation of energy functionals in the problem of a curvilinear crack in a plate with a possible contact of the crack faces

A problem of equilibrium of a cracked plate is considered within the framework of the Kirchhoff-Love model. Non-penetration conditions in the form of inequalities (Signorini-type conditions) are set on the crack faces. The behavior of the energy functional is studied for the case of a rather smooth perturbation of the domain of the general form. Sufficient conditions for the existence of the energy functional derivative with respect to the parameter of domain perturbation are derived. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 153–168, September–October, 2008.     

Stable growth of a crack interacting with a circular inclusion

The problem of failure of a plate containing a circular inclusion and a crack is studied. The crack is oriented along a diameter of the inclusion and the plate is subjected to a remote uniaxial stress perpendicular to the crack axis. The process of slow stable crack growth from initiation to termination is studied by the strain energy density theory. The crack growth is simulated by predicting finite increments of crack extension when material elements near the crack tip absorb a critical amount of strain energy density level, . Unstable crack growth occurs when the strain energy density factor S reaches a critical value where r_c is the critical size of the final crack increment prior to instability. The stress at crack initiation and the critical stress and crack length at failure are determined. The influence of the mechanical properties of the plate and the inclusion, the relative position of the inclusion and the crack and the crack length on the characteristic quantities of stable crack growth is analyzed. The dependence of the stable crack growth process on the loading rate is also investigated. Results are displayed in graphical form.     

Numerical simulation of loading edge cracks by edge impact using the extended finite element method

The extended finite element method is used to analyze a plate with two parallel edge cracks impacted by a cylindrical projectile. The influence of the impact speed, crack length,plate thickness and notch tip radius on the crack initiation and propagation is studied. Dynamics equations are solved by an implicit time integration scheme which is unconditionally stable. Very good agreement is achieved between numerical predictions and experimental results. The critical velocity of the crack initiation under different conditions is examined. The influence of the crack length is greater than that of the impact speed, plate thickness and notch tip radius.     

Growth of an arc-crack in bonded dissimilar materials

The problem of growth of a crack lying along the interface of a circular inclusion embedded in an infinite plate is studied within the framework of linear elasticity. The plate is subjected to a uniform uniaxial stress at infinity at any angle of inclination relatively to the crack. The critical load for unstable crack growth, the angle of initial crack extension and the subsequent crack path are investigated using the strain energy density fracture criterion. The combined effect of crack length and orientation on the fracture stress is considered for the case of an aluminum-epoxy composite.     

Closed form solution for two unequal collinear semi-permeable straight cracks in a piezoelectric media

The problem of two unequal collinear straight cracks weakening a poled transversely isotropic piezoelectric ceramic is addressed under semi-permeable electric boundary conditions on the crack faces. The plate has been subjected to combined in-plane normal(to the faces of the cracks) mechanical and electric loads. Problem is formulated employing Stroh formalism and solved using complex variable technique. The elastic field, electric field and energy release rate are obtained in closed analytic form. A case study is presented for poled PZT-5H cracked plate to study the effect of prescribed mechanical load, electric load, inter-crack distance and crack lengths on crack arrest parameters stress intensity factor (SIF), electric displacement intensity factor (EDIF) and mechanical and total energy release rates (ERR). Moreover a comparative study is done of impermeable and semi-permeable crack face boundary conditions on SIF, EDIF and ERR, and results obtained is presented graphically. It is observed that the effect of dielectric medium in the crack gap cannot be ignored.     

Fracture toughness from the standpoint of softening hyperelasticity

Fracture toughness of brittle materials is calibrated in experiments where a sample with a preexisting crack/notch is loaded up to a critical point of the onset of static instability. Experiments with ceramics, for example, exhibit a pronounced dependence of the toughness on the sharpness of the crack/notch: the sharper is the crack the lower is the toughness. These experimental results are not entirely compatible with the original Griffith theory of brittle fracture where the crack sharpness is of minor importance.¹To explain the experimental observations qualitatively we simulate tension of a thin plate with a small crack of a finite and varying sharpness. In simulations, we introduce the average bond energy as a limiter for the stored energy of the Hookean solid. The energy limiter induces softening, indicating material failure. Thus, elasticity with softening allows capturing the critical point of the onset of static instability of the cracked plate, which corresponds to the onset of the failure propagation at the tip of the crack. In numerical simulations we find, in agreement with experiments, that the magnitude of the fracture toughness cannot be determined uniquely because it depends on the sharpness of the crack: the sharper is the crack, the lower is the toughness.Based on the obtained results, we argue that a stable magnitude of the toughness of brittle materials can only be reached when a characteristic size of the crack tip is comparable with a characteristic length of the material microstructure, e.g. grain size, atomic distance, etc. In other words, the toughness can be calibrated only under conditions where the hypothesis of continuum fails.     

Differentiation of Energy Functionals in Two-Dimensional Elasticity Theory for Solids with Curvilinear Cracks

This paper considers the equations of two-dimensional elasticity theory in nonsmooth domains. The domains contain curvilinear cracks of variable length. On the crack faces, conditions are specified in the form of inequalities describing mutual nonpenetration of the crack faces. It is proved that the solutions of equilibrium problems with a perturbed crack converge to the solution of the equilibrium problem with an unperturbed crack in the corresponding space. The derivative of the energy functional with respect to the length of a curvilinear crack is obtained.     

Asymptotic behavior of the energy functional for a three-dimensional body with a rigid inclusion and a crack

A model of a three-dimensional elastic body containing a rigid inclusion and a crack located on the interface between the inclusion and the body is considered. Natural boundary conditions are imposed on the crack. A derivative of the energy functional with respect to the perturbation parameter is derived for an arbitrary, rather smooth perturbation of the domain, in particular, the Griffith formula is obtained.     

Optimizing energy input for fracture by analysis of the energy required to initiate dynamic mode I crack growth

A problem for a central crack in a plate subjected to plane strain conditions is investigated. Mode I crack loading is created by a dynamic pressure pulse applied at large distance from the crack. It was found that for a certain combination of amplitude and duration of the pulse applied, energy transmitted to the sample has a strongly marked minimum, meaning that with the pulse amplitude or duration moving away from the optimal values minimum energy required for initiation of crack growth increases rapidly. Results received indicate a possibility to optimize energy consumption of different industrial processes connected with fracture. Much could be gained in for example drilling or rock pounding where energy input accounts for the largest part of the process cost. Presumably further investigation of the effect observed can make it possible to predict optimal energy saving parameters, i.e., frequency and amplitude of impacts, for industrial devices, e.g., bores, grinding machines, etc. and hence significantly reduce the process cost. The prediction can be given based on the parameters of the media fractured (material parameters, prevalent crack length and orientation, etc.).     

Rectangular tensile sheet with a center notch root crack

This paper deals with the rectangular tensile sheet with a center notch crack. Such a crack problem is called a center notch crack problem for short. By using a hybrid displacement discontinuity method (a boundary element method) proposed recently by Yan, two center notch models are analyzed in detail. By changing the geometrical forms and parameters of the center notch, and by comparing the SIFs of the center notch crack problem with those of the center cracked plate tension specimen (CCT), which is a model frequently used in fracture mechanics, the effect of the geometrical forms and parameters of the center notch on the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of the center cracked plate tension specimen, is revealed. Some geometric characterestic parameters are introduced here, which are used to formulate the notch length and the branch crack length, which are to be determined in mechanical machining of the center cracked plate tension specimen. So we can say that the geometric characterestic parameters and the formulae used to determine the notch length and the branch crack length presented in this paper perhaps have some guidance role for mechanical machining of the center cracked plate tension specimen. In addition, the numerical investigation proves that the conventional angular notched specimen is much less sensitive to the size of notch than is the circular notched specimen.     

Dynamic interaction effects of multiple delaminations in plates subject to cylindrical bending

The interaction of multiple delaminations in a laminated composite plate loaded dynamically under plane strain conditions (cylindrical bending) is studied by a simple but accurate model that represents the delaminated plate as a set of Timoshenko beams joined by cohesive interfaces. Behavioral maps are derived, which distinguish conditions under which multiple delaminations tend to propagate with equal lengths from those under which one of them tends to grow as a dominant crack with relatively high velocity. In homogeneous systems, equal length growth is favored when the delaminations are equally spaced through the thickness. While the behavioral maps are similar to those for static loading conditions, significant dynamic effects arise in the details of propagation: the maximum energy release rate depends strongly on the loading rate, duration and profile; dynamic effects and crack-interaction effects are generally coupled; and strong hammering effects (chaotic collisions of sub-laminates) can occur during the free wave motions that arise after the load is removed. The hammering effect can be suppressed by imposing a large-scale bridging mechanism (bridging extending far in the crack wake, as from pins or stitches), whereupon energy release rates tend to show smooth oscillations associated with waves propagating on the scale of the whole specimen. The energy absorbed during failure will depend significantly on whether conditions favor multiple delaminations propagating with equal lengths or a single delamination growing dominantly.     

Crack trajectories influenced by mechanical and thermal disturbance in anisotropic material

This work is concerned with the application of the volume energy density criterion for predicting the crack trajectories as influenced by mechanical and thermal disturbance in an anisotropic material. Two-dimensional linear thermoelasticity is employed in conjunction with the well-known complex potentials such that a linear relationship is obtained for the boundary conditions across the crack or line of discontinuity. Boundary collocation is then used to determine the unknown coefficients from which the contours of the volume energy density in the cracked plate can be obtained. The crack path is assumed to coincide with the loci where dilatation would dominate. This corresponds to the locations of relative minimum energy density which can be found by visual inspection. An equal and opposite mechanical stress and thermal gradient are applied on the cracked plate. The former and latter enhance symmetric and asymmetric crack growth, respectively. They would complete depending on the magnitude of the mechanical and thermal load. Numerical results are presented for three (3) different cases of a plate whose principal axes of material symmetry are tilted to the crack plane. The influence of anisotropy on crack path is found to be secondary.     

Analysis of the derivative of the energy functional with respect to the length of a curvilinear crack in an elastic body with a possible crack-edge contact

A homogeneous two-dimensional body with a crack of variable length is considered. At the crack edges, conditions are formulated in the form of inequalities that describe mutual nonpenetration of the edges. The derivative of the elastic-energy functional with respect to the length of the curvilinear crack is analyzed. It is shown that the derivative is independent of the crack path, provided that the curve along which the crack propagates is reasonably smooth. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 48, No. 5, pp. 138–145, September–October, 2007.     

Dependence of the Critical Load on the Geometric Characteristics of a Hinged Plate with a Crack

The plane problem of three-dimensional stability of a hinged plate with a central crack under uniaxial loading along the crack is considered. The net approach is used to solve the problem. The variational difference and gradient methods are used, respectively, to construct a difference scheme and to solve difference problems. The dependence of the critical load on two parameters — the crack length and the thickness ratio — is derived. Formulas for calculation of the critical load are given     

Elastic–plastic near field solution of an eccentric crack under shear in a finite width plate

The near crack line analysis method is used to investigate an eccentric crack loaded by shear forces in a finite width plate, and the analytical solution is obtained in this paper. The solution includes: the unit normal vector of the elastic–plastic boundary near the crack line, the elastic–plastic stress fields near crack line, variations of the length of the plastic zone along the crack line with an external loads, and the bearing capacity of a finite plate with a centric crack loaded by shear stress in the far field. The results obtained in this paper are sufficiently precise near the crack line because the assumptions of small scale yielding theory have not been made and no other assumptions have been taken. Subsequently, the present results are compared with the traditional line elastic fracture mechanical solutions and elastoplastic near field solutions under small scale yielding condition. On the basis of the minimum strain energy density (SED) theory, the minimum values of SED in the vicinity of the crack tip are determined, the initial growth orientation of crack are determined. It is found that the normalized load under large scale yielding condition is higher than those under small scale yielding condition when the length of the plastic zone is the same.     

Elastoplastic solution for an eccentric crack loaded by two pairs of point tensile forces

The strain energy density theory and the near crack line analysis method are applied to investigate an eccentric crack loaded by two pairs of tensile point forces in a finite plate. The minimum values of SED in the vicinity of the crack tip are determined, the initial growth orientation of crack are determined. Obtained is the elastic-plastic solution near the crack line of an eccentric crack loaded by two pairs of point tensile forces under large scale yielding condition. More specifically, the near field solution contains the unit normal vector of the elastic-plastic boundary and the elastic-plastic stress field. The length of the plastic zone along the crack line is found to vary with the external load and the bearing capacity of a finite plate with an eccentric crack loaded by two pairs of tensile point forces. Compared with small scale yielding condition, the normalized load obtained is higher than those under small scale yielding condition when the length of the plastic zone is the same.     

Problem of a crack on the boundary of a rigid inclusion in an elastic plate

The problem of equilibrium of a thin elastic plate containing a rigid inclusion is considered. On part of the interface between the elastic plate and the rigid inclusion, there is a vertical crack. It is assumed that, on both crack edges, the boundary conditions are given as inequalities describing the mutual impenetrability of the edges. The solvability of the problem is proven and the character of satisfaction of the boundary conditions is described. It is also shown that the problem is the limit problem for a family of other problems posed for a wider region and describing equilibrium of elastic plates with a vertical crack as the rigidity parameter tends to infinity.     

Crack propagation in a functionally graded plate under thermal shock

Summary Thermal cracking in a ceramic/metal functionally graded plate is discussed. When a functionally graded plate is cooled from high temperature, curved or straight crack paths are experimentally observed on the ceramic surface. One of the reasons that make the crack paths to differ are the thermal or mechanical conditions. In order to clarify the influence of these conditions on the crack path, the crack propagation is simulated using finite element method. Received 29 September 1998; accepted for publication 2 August 1999     

Investigation of a griffith crack subject to uniform tension using the non-local theory by a new method

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