Numerical analysis of fast fracture and crack arrest in a sheet of elastic perfectly-plastic material

The dynamic fields for acceleration, deceleration and arrest of a crack tip have been investigated numerically. We consider cracks which start to extend rapidly under brittle conditions. The crack-tips then enter regions of elasto-plastic constitutive behavior and they are subsequently arrested. Results have been obtained for a symmetrically expanding central crack and for an edge crack, both in thin sheets. The elasto-plastic behavior has been described by J₂ flow theory, with the von Mises yield criterion and a bilinear relation between effective stress and effective strain. Numerical results are presented for stress and strain components at a short distance ahead of the propagating and arresting crack tips.     

基于圆弧底试件的动态裂纹扩展及止裂规律研究

为了研究脆性材料的动态裂纹扩展及止裂规律,设计了一种带圆弧形底边的梯形开口边裂纹（trapezoidal opening crack with arc bottom,TOCAB）构型的试件。在落锤冲击设备加载下,对圆心角为0°、60°、90°和120°的TOCAB试件进行了冲击实验,并采用裂纹扩展计(crack propagation gauge,CPG)监测裂纹起裂和扩展时间,从而获得裂纹扩展速度。采用有限差分软件AUTODYN对落锤冲击设备和试件进行数值模拟,研究了裂纹的动态扩展过程及止裂规律。还基于实验和数值方法,计算了裂纹的临界动态应力强度因子。实验和数值结果均表明：3种弧度的TOCAB试件都可以实现运动裂纹止裂,该构型可用于研究动态裂纹止裂问题;数值计算的裂纹扩展路径与实验结果基本一致,验证了数值模型的有效性;裂纹起裂和止裂时刻的临界动态应力强度因子大于裂纹动态扩展过程中的临界动态应力强度因子。

     

大体积混凝土等效裂纹断裂模型研究

根据大比尺混凝土紧凑拉伸与楔入劈拉试验成果,将裂纹在稳定扩展中断裂有程区应力分布与相应的变形（张开度ω）联系起来,通过“归一化”处理,得到了大体积混凝土断裂过程区长度的解析表达式,建立了大体积混凝土Ⅰ型断裂破坏的等效裂纹断裂模型。     

Modeling and numerical investigation of slow crack growth and crack arrest in ceramic polycrystals

Intergranular slow crack growth in zirconia polycrystal is described with a cohesive zone model that simulate mechanically the reaction-rupture mechanism underlying stress and environmentally assisted failure. A 2D polycrystal is considered with cohesive surfaces inserted along the grain boundaries. The anisotropic elastic modulus and grain-to-grain misorientation are accounted for together with an initial stress state related to the processing. A minimum load threshold is shown to originate from the onset of the reaction-rupture mechanism to proceed where a minimum traction is reached locally and from the magnitude of the initial compression stresses. This work aims at providing reliable predictions in long lasting applications of ceramics.     

横观各向同性油气藏水力压裂裂纹扩展规律研究

针对横观各向同性与各向同性油气藏水力压裂裂纹扩展的差异性,基于扩展有限元法建立水力压裂力学模型,通过ABAQUS子程序开发了各向同性和横观各向同性岩体的起裂判据。在各向同性岩体数值模拟结果与解析解以及现场压裂典型曲线对比吻合的基础上,得到了包含层理构造的横观各向同性岩体水力压裂过程中裂纹扩展规律。层理类岩体水力压裂的裂缝扩展方向由地应力状态、层理方向以及岩体与层理界面抗拉强度共同决定;水力压裂过程中,注水压力在裂纹尖端产生应力集中,层理面法向分量先达到界面抗拉强度时,裂纹沿层理方向开裂,反之裂纹沿垂直最小地应力的方向扩展;裂纹扩展速度随层理抗拉强度的增加而降低;由于地层的滤失,随压裂液的注入,裂纹长宽尺度增长速率降低。     

A biaxial test specimen for crack arrest studies

A biaxially loaded, single edge notched (SEN) fracture specimen, with mixed modes I and II loading, was used to study the crack arrest capability of a bonded and riveted tear strap without and with simulated multiple site damage (MSD). MSD was modeled by a 50-percent groove without which the running crack would inevitably kink due to K_II loading. A total of thirty-one 2024-T3 aluminum specimens with various crack and MSD configurations were tested. The fracture parameters associated with straight and curved crack paths were determined by using the experimenta results to drive a dynamic finite element model of the specimen in its generation mode. The crack kinking and extension criteria were verified by the excellent agreement between the prediction based on these fracture parameters and the measured crack kinking angles. Comparison between the test results generated by the biaxial stress specimens and by those generated by small- and full-scale pressurized fuselage rupture experiments showed that this specimen can be used to prescreen the effectiveness of tear straps and crack arrestors in an airplane fuselage.     

Thermo-electro-structural coupled analyses of crack arrest by Joule heating

Using the finite element method, thermo-electro-structural coupled analyses of the cracked conducting plate under high electric current have been solved. The crack contact condition and temperature-dependent material properties are considered in this analysis. The crack tip temperature, electric current density factor, stress intensity factor and strain energy density factor are obtained for discussions. Due to high electric current density and Joule heating at the crack tip, a circular melting area may exist around the tip. After cooling, a circular void or hole may occur at the crack tip and the crack arrest is achieved. The crack tip temperature decreases when the crack contact area increases. The proper tensile load is necessary for making the crack open enough and causing high current density at the crack tip and associated crack arrest. On the other hand, the crack tip temperature increases with time by the increasing external current and Joule heating. The values of mode-I stress intensity factor and strain energy density factor decrease with time due to the thermal deformation around the crack tip. Because of the temperature-dependent resistivity, the variation of the electric current density factor is complicated. In addition, it is not easy to create a crack-arrest condition when the crack length relative to the plate width is too small.     

The propagation and arrest of an edge crack in anti-plane shear

The motion of an edge crack extending non-uniformly in an elastic half-space under conditions of anti-plane shear is investigated, taking the first reflected stress wave into account. An expression for the stress intensity factor at the crack tip is obtained, and an energy-balance crack propagation criterion is used to find the equation of motion of the tip. On solving this equation numerically, it is found that crack arrest occurs before the second reflected wave reaches the tip.     

Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracture crack propagation

The plane problem of crack motion in an elastic medium under the pressure of a viscous fluid is considered. Under the condition of a constant fluid flow rate, the fluid is injected at the center of the crack. Contrary to other formulations of the problem, this paper attempts to take into account a possible fluid lag behind the crack tip. The resulting numerical solution is compared with a semianalytic one. It is found that the proposed numerical model can be used to predict the characteristics of a hydraulic fracture crack formed in a medium of a prescribed strength.     

Mechanics and fracture of crack tip deformable bi-material interface

Novel interface deformable bi-layer beam theory is developed to account for local effects at crack tip of bi-material interface by modeling a bi-layer composite beam as two separate shear deformable sub-layers with consideration of crack tip deformation. Unlike the sub-layer model in the literature in which the crack tip deformations under the interface peel and shear stresses are ignored and thus a “rigid” joint is used, the present study introduces two interface compliances to account for the effect of interface stresses on the crack tip deformation which is referred to as the elastic foundation effect; thus a flexible condition along the interface is considered. Closed-form solutions of resultant forces, deformations, and interface stresses are obtained for each sub-layer in the bi-layer beam, of which the local effects at the crack tip are demonstrated. In this study, an elastic deformable crack tip model is presented for the first time which can improve the split beam solution. The present model is in excellent agreements with analytical 2-D continuum solutions and finite element analyses. The resulting crack tip rotation is then used to calculate the energy release rate (ERR) and stress intensity factor (SIF) of interface fracture in bi-layer materials. Explicit closed-form solutions for ERR and SIF are obtained for which both the transverse shear and crack tip deformation effects are accounted. Compared to the full continuum elasticity analysis, such as finite element analysis, the present solutions are much explicit, more applicable, while comparable in accuracy. Further, the concept of deformable crack tip model can be applied to other bi-layer beam analyses (e.g., delamination buckling and vibration, etc.).     

Characterization of crack tip stresses in plane-strain fracture specimens having weld center crack

Fracture toughness of metals depends strongly on the state of stress near the crack tip. The existing standards (like R-6, SINTAP) are being modified to account for the influence of stress triaxiality in the flaw assessment procedures. These modifications are based on the ability of so-called ‘constraint parameters’ to describe near tip stresses. Crack tip stresses in homogeneous fracture specimens are successfully described in terms of two parameters like J–Q or J–T. For fracture specimens having a weld center crack, strength mismatch ratio between base and weld material and weld width are the additional variables, along with the magnitude of applied loading, type of loading, and geometry of specimen that affect the crack tip stresses. In this work, a novel three-parameter scheme was proposed to estimate the crack tip opening stress accounting for the above-mentioned variables. The first and second parameters represent the crack tip opening stress in a homogeneous fracture specimen under small-scale yielding and are well known. The third parameter accounts for the effect of constraint developed due to weld strength mismatch. It comprises of weld strength mismatch ratio (M, i.e. ratio of yield strength of weld material to that of base material), and a plastic interaction factor (I_p) that scales the size of the plastic zone with the width of the weld material. The plastic interaction factor represents the degree of influence of weld strength mismatch on crack tip constraint for a given mismatch ratio. The proposed scheme was validated with detailed FE analysis using the Modified Boundary Layer formulation.     

Modelling of crack growth by fracture damage zone

The strain energy density (SED) criterion is applied for analyzing the full range of mixed mode fracture from tensile to shear loading. A fracture damage zone (FDZ) local to the crack tip is defined and discussed in connection with the influence of crack geometry, loading and local material property. The size of FDZ tends to change continuously from statically to cyclically applied load conditions. It can be estimated from the uniaxial mechanical properties of the material. Both experimental and analytical results are examined for subcritical crack growth under static loading that depends on the type steel structures the fracture behavior of which could be represented by a single curve for the given specimen geometry.     

The dependence of crack velocity on the critical stress in fracture

The constant velocity of crack propagation in PMMA is investigated in terms of the fracture stress for both continuously increasing loading (strain rate ?=0.59×10^?4 s^?1) and dynamic loading (strain rate ?=0.35 s^?1). It was found that the constant crack velocity increases with increasing fracture stress and that it depends on the loading conditions (continuously increasing or dynamic loading). In particular, it was found that the increase of the constant velocity for the static loading case is higher than for the dynamic one. However, in both cases, the constant velocity reaches a limiting value for stresses higher than a certain level.     

Prediction of thermally induced fracture from notch and crack front

The strain energy density criterion is applied to predict fracture trajectories emanating from existing notch and crack front in nonisothermal environments. When temperature gradients are raised sufficiently high across a notch or crack, the resulting fracture trajectories are non-self-similar and curved in shape. Influence of mechanical loading is also considered in addition to stresses induced by thermal changes. Increase in the applied mechanical load tends to shift or restore the fracture trajectories toward the plane of notch or crack symmetry. The notch sharpness can be varied by adjusting the ration of the minor to major axes of an elliptical cavity. Narrowing the notch primarily increases the local intensity of the strain energy density function dW/dV that is inversely proportional to the radial distance measured from the focal point of the ellipse. This singular character of dW/dV prevails, in general, for all materials and loadings. Numerical results are obtained and displayed graphically for several examples involving fracture trajectory shapes that are not intuitively obvious.     

Small-scale crack bridging and the fracture toughness of particulate-reinforced ceramics

Theoreticalanalyses of small-scale bridging of crack surfaces by elastic-ideally plastic springs are presented and applied to the study of the fracture toughness of ceramics reinforced by small particles. The dependence of toughening on particle size, concentration, strength, and ductility is explored, and relations between toughening and bridge length at fracture are given. Available experimental information is examined in the light of the analyses.     

Axial crack propagation and arrest in a pressurized cylinder: An experimental-numerical analysis

The feasibility of using a previously developed crack-kinking criterion to predict crack arrest at a tear strap in a pressurized fuselage was studied with instrumented axial rupture tests of 21 models of an idealized fuselage. A rapidly propagating axial crack, which was initiated from a precrack, kinked immediately upon extension and propagated diagonally until it turned circumferentially and propagated along the tear straps. An elastodynamic finite element analysis of the rupturing model fuselage yielded the mixed-mode stress intensity factors,K _I andK _II , and the remote stress component, σ _OX . This numerical procedure was also used to predict the crack trajectories in full-scale fuselage rupture tests. All numerical results agreed well with their measured counterparts regardless of size.     

Brittle fracture: Variation of fracture toughness with constraint and crack curving under mode I conditions

The effect of constraint on brittle fracture of solids under predominantly elastic deformation and mode I loading conditions is studied. Using different cracked specimen geometry, the variation of constraint is achieved in this work. Fracture tests of polymethyl methacrylate were performed using single edge notch, compact tension and double cantilever beam specimens to cover a bread range of constraint. The test data demonstrate that the apparent fracture toughness of the material varies with the specimen geometry or the constraint level. Theory is developed using the critical stress (strain) as the fracture criterion to show that this variation can be interpreted using the critical stress intensity factorK _Cand a second parameterT orA ₃,whereT andA ₃are the amplitudes of the second and the third term in the Williams series solution, respectively. The implication of this constraint effect to the ASTM fracture toughness value, crack tip opening displacement fracture criterion and energy release rateG _Cis discussed. Using the same critical stress (strain) as the fracture criterion, the theory further predicts crack curving or instability under mode I loading conditions. Experimental data are presented and compared with the theory.