Laplace equation in a domain with a rectilinear crack: higher order derivatives of the energy with respect to the crack length

We consider the weak solution of the Laplace equation in a planar domain with a straight crack, prescribing a homogeneous Neumann condition on the crack and a nonhomogeneous Dirichlet condition on the rest of the boundary. For every k we express the k-th derivative of the energy with respect to the crack length in terms of a finite number of coefficients of the asymptotic expansion of the solution near the crack tip and of a finite number of other parameters, which only depend on the shape of the domain.     

Closed-form solutions for a mode III radial matrix crack penetrating a circular inhomogeneity

In this research we address in detail a mode III radial matrix crack penetrating a circular inhomogeneity. One tip of the radial crack lies in the matrix, while the other tip of the radial crack lies in the circular inhomogeneity. In addition the two tips of the crack are mutually image points (or inverse points) with respect to the circular inhomogeneity-matrix interface. First we conformally map the crack onto a unit circle C_a in the new ζ-plane. Meanwhile the inhomogeneity-matrix interface is mapped onto C_b, a part of another circle in the ζ-plane. In addition C_a and C_b intersect at a vertex angle π/2. By using the method of image in the ζ-plane, closed-form solutions in terms of elementary functions are derived for three loading cases: (1) remote uniform antiplane shearing; (2) a screw dislocation located in the unbounded matrix; and (3) a radial Zener–Stroh crack.     

Problems of a cut in a three-dimensional elastic wedge

The Ritz variational method is applied to problems of a crack (a cut) in the middle half-plane of a three-dimensional elastic wedge. The faces of the elastic wedge are either stress-free (Problem A) or are under conditions of sliding or rigid clamping (Problems B and C respectively). The crack is open and is under a specified normal load. Each of the problems reduces to an operator integrodifferential equation in relation to the jump in normal displacement in the crack area. The method selected makes it possible to calculate the stress intensity factor at a relatively small distance from the edge of the wedge to the cut area. Numerical and asymptotic solutions [Pozharskii DA. An elliptical crack in an elastic three-dimensional wedge. Izv. Ross Akad. Nauk. MTT 1993;(6):105–12] for an elliptical crack are compared. In the second part of the paper the case of a cut reaching the edge of the wedge at one point is considered. This models a V-shaped crack whose apex has reached the edge of the wedge, giving a new singular point in the solution of boundary-value problems for equations of elastic equilibrium. The asymptotic form of the normal displacements and stress in the vicinity of the crack tip is investigated. Here, the method employed in [Babeshko VA, Glushkov YeV, Zinchenko ZhF. The dynamics of Inhomogeneous Linearly Elastic Media. Moscow: Nauka; 1989] and [Glushkov YeV, Glushkova NV. Singularities of the elastic stress field in the vicinity of the tip of a V-shaped three-dimensional crack. Izv. Ross Akad. Nauk. MTT 1992;(4):82–6] to find the operator spectrum is refined. The new basis function system selected enables the elements of an infinite-dimensional matrix to be expressed as converging series. The asymptotic form of the normal stress outside a V-shaped cut, which is identical with the asymptotic form of the contact pressure in the contact problem for an elastic wedge of half the aperture angle, is determined, when the contact area supplements the cut area up to the face of the wedge.     

Simplified stress correction factor to study the dynamic behavior of a cracked beam

In this work a simplified formula for the stress correction factor in terms of the crack depth to the beam height ratio, f(a/h), is presented. The modified formula is compared to a well-known similar factor in the literature, and shows a good agreement for a/h lower than 0.5. The modified formula is used to examine the lateral vibration of an Euler–Bernoulli beam with a single-edge open crack. This is done through introducing the flexibility scalar. This scalar can be generated from the Irwins’s relationship using the modified factor f(a/h). The crack in this case is represented as rotational spring. With the modified model, beam configurations with classical and non-classical support conditions could be studied.     

Optimal control of the layer size in the problem of equilibrium of elastic bodies with overlapping domains

We consider the problem of equilibrium of a two-layer elastic body. The first of the layers contains a crack,while the second is a circle centered at one of the crack tips. The round layer is glued by its boundary to the first layer. The unique solvability is proved for this problem in the nonlinear formulation. An optimal control problem is also considered. The radius a of the second layer is chosen as a varying parameter under assumption that a takes positive values from a closed interval. It is shown that there are a value of a minimizing the functional that characterizes how potential energy depends on the crack length and a value of a minimizing the functional that characterizes the opening of the crack.     

Self-similar solution of a tensile crack problem in a coupled formulation

Using a self-similar variables, an asymptotic investigation is carried out into the stress fields and the rates of creep deformations and degree of damage close to the tip of a tensile crack under creep conditions in a coupled (creep - damage) plane formulation of the problem. It is shown that a domain of completely damaged material (DCDM) exists close to the crack tip. The geometry of this domain is determined for different values of the material parameters appearing in the constitutive relations of the Norton power law in the theory of steady-state creep and a kinetic equation which postulates a power law for the damage accumulation. It is shown that, if the boundary condition at the point at infinity is formulated as the condition of asymptotic approximation to the Hutchinson–Rice-Rosengren solution [Hutchinson JW. Singular behaviour at the end of a tensile crack in a hardening material. J Mech Phys Solids 1968;16(1):13–31; Rice JR, Rosengren GF. Plane strain deformation near a crack tip in a power-law hardening material. J Mech Phys Solids. 1968;16(1):1–12], then the boundaries of the DCDM, which are defined by means of binomial and trinomial expansions of the continuity parameter, are substantially different with respect to their dimension and shape. A new asymptotic of the for stress field, which determines the geometry of the DCDM and leads to close configurations of the DCDM constructed using binomial and trinomial asymptotic expansions of the continuity parameter, are established by an asymptotic analysis and a numerical solution of the non-linear eigenvalue problem obtained.     

A transversely isotropic medium containing a penny-shaped crack subjected to a non-uniform axisymmetric loading via an anchored smooth rigid disk

A smooth rigid circular anchor disk encapsulated by a penny-shaped crack is embedded in and unbounded transversely isotropic medium. The lamellar rigid disk exerts a nonuniform axisymmetric loading to the upper face of the crack. With the aid of an appropriate stress function and Hankel transform, the governing equations are converted to a set of triple integral equations which in turn are reduced to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. For some transversely isotropic materials the normalized stiffness of the system falls well outside of the envelope pertinent to isotropic media. It is shown that mode I stress intensity factor is independent of the material properties and solely depends on the ratio of the radius of the rigid disk to that of the crack; moreover, for the cases where this ratio is less than about 0.9 a simple explicit approximate expression for the mode I stress intensity factor is derived. In contrast, the normalized mode II stress intensity factor is independent of the mentioned geometrical parameters but depends on the elastic properties of the material; depending on the material properties, the normalized mode II stress intensity factor can vary between 0 to ∞ for transversely isotropic materials and between 0 to π/4 for isotropic materials.     

Invariant Integrals for the Equilibrium Problem for a Plate with a Crack

We consider the equilibrium problem for a plate with a crack. The equilibrium of a plate is described by the biharmonic equation. Stress free boundary conditions are given on the crack faces. We introduce a perturbation of the domain in order to obtain an invariant Cherepanov–Rice-type integral which gives the energy release rate upon the quasistatic growth of a crack. We obtain a formula for the derivative of the energy functional with respect to the perturbation parameter which is useful in forecasting the development of a crack (for example, in study of local stability of a crack). The derivative of the energy functional is representable as an invariant integral along a sufficiently smooth closed contour. We construct some invariant integrals for the particular perturbations of a domain: translation of the whole cut and local translation along the cut.     

An experimental-analytical hybrid model for the elasto-plastic stresses at a crack

The primary obstacle preventing the analytical determination of physically sensible stresses at a crack tip is the presence of a mathematical singularity there. This singularity is best known in its elastic form; however it persists even in elasto-plastic crack-tip stresses. To overcome the difficulty we adopt the following strategy: we attempt to capture initial elastic stresses experimentally, than track subsequent elasto-plastic stress distributions analytically.We infer a finite stress at a crack tip from the experimental behaviour of cracked specimens at fracture when the specimens are made of a truly brittle material. Given a size-independent result, we argue that the crack-tip stress at fracture must equal the ultimate stress for such a material; thus dividing by the applied stress at the same point gives a measure of the stress concentration factor, K_T. The approach is checked for size independence and against hole configurations with known theoretical, yet physically reasonable, K_T. Then the effective experimental KT are taken as inputs for the second phase of the study in which we model the crack as being a smooth notch having the same stress concentration factor as found experimentally. In this way our configuration initially shares the same stresses at the crack tip as we inferred physically. Next we track effects of incremental plastic flow on a set of finite element grids. Satisfactory resolution in return for modest computational effort is obtained by employing a substructuring method. The accuracy in both the elastic and the elasto-plastic regime is checked against trial problems with exact solutions. Thereafter, physically interpretable stress distributions ahead of the crack are determined for a range of materials and for varying load levels.     

The method of boundary integral equations for a mixed scattering problem

In this paper we consider the scattering of an electromagnetic time-harmonic plane wave by an infinite cylinder having an open arc and a bounded domain in R² as cross section. To this end, we solve a scattering problem for the Helmholtz equation in R² where the scattering object is a combination of a crack Γ and a bounded obstacle D, and we have Dirichlet-impedance type boundary condition on Γ and Dirichlet boundary condition on ∂D (∂D∈C²). Applying potential theory, the problem can be reformulated as a boundary integral system. We establish the existence and uniqueness of a solution to the system by using the Fredholm theory.     

A study of the perturbed stress state of a closed cylindrical shell with a system of part-through transverse cracks

We study the elastic equilibrium of a closed infinite circular cylindrical shell with a system of surface cracks of identical length and depth. We use the method of singular integral equations together with the modeling of solid matter in the plane of a part-through crack by irregularly distributed “line springs”. We conduct a numerical analysis of the variation of the relative stress intensity factor at the center of a crack as a function of the parameters of a crack and the number of cracks. We study cracks located on both the interior and exterior surface of the shell. Translated fromMatematicheskie Metody i Fiziko-Mekhanicheskie Polya, No. 37, 1994, pp. 63–65.     

The effect of transverse crack upon parametric instability of a rotor-bearing system with an asymmetric disk

It is well known that either the asymmetric disk or transverse crack brings parametric inertia (or stiffness) excitation to the rotor-bearing system. When both of them appear in a rotor system, the parametric instability behaviors have not gained sufficient attentions. Thus, the effect of transverse crack upon parametric instability of a rotor-bearing system with an asymmetric disk is studied. First, the finite element equations of motion are established for the asymmetric rotor system. Both the open and breathing transverse cracks are taken into account in the model. Then, the discrete state transition matrix (DSTM) method is introduced for numerically acquiring the instability regions. Based upon these, some computations for a practical asymmetric rotor system with open or breathing transverse crack are conducted, respectively. Variations of the primary and combination instability regions induced by the asymmetric disk with the crack depth are observed, and the effect of the orientation angle between the crack and asymmetric disk on various instability regions are discussed in detail. It is shown that for the asymmetric angle around 0, the existence of transverse (either open or breathing) crack has attenuation effect upon the instability regions. Under certain crack depth, the instability regions could be vanished by the transverse crack. When the asymmetric angle is around π/2, increasing the crack depth would enhance the instability regions.     

Multifractal scaling of crack images from pyroligneous acid dried sludge

Tannery effluent (sludge, wastewater) is treated by natural way. The waste sludge has been taken for two treatment process. The alkali chemicals are neutralized by pyroligneous acid which is obtained by pyrolysis process of wood. This sludge is sent out for drying. The dried sludge contains some crack pattern formation. Photographs were used to record two sludge cracking surfaces. Experiment has been performed to study the fracture pattern formation in thin film sludge. We studied changes of crack surface of a sludge by image analysis and also assessed applicability of fractal scaling to crack surfaces. The calculated crack surface dimension shows that the fracture surface exhibit fractal structure. Image size was 256 × 256 pixels. MFA (multifractal analysis) was carried out to the method of moments, i.e., the probability distribution was estimated for moments ranging from ?150 < q < 150 and the generalized dimension were calculated from the log/log slope of the probability distribution for the respective moments over box sizes. Generalized dimension D(q) were attained for this box size range, which are capable of characterizing heterogeneous spatial crack structure. Multifractal spectra analyzed two fracture surface of the image and results were indicated that the width of spectra increases due to pyroligneous acid. Multifractal method is sensitive enough to measure the fracture distribution and can be seen as a different approach for changing research of crack images of manure sludge drying.     

Controlling the shape of a crack in an elastic body under the condition of a possible contact of edges

Under consideration is a homogeneous three-dimensional body with a crack in the form of a smooth surface. We impose some inequality constraints on the crack edges that describe their mutual nonpenetration. According to the Griffith criterion, the crack begins to propagate when the derivative of the energy functional with respect to the virtual increment of the crack surface area reaches a certain critical value. The value of this derivative depends, in particular, on the crack shape. The crack shape is determined that minimizes the value of the derivative of the energy functional; more precisely, the existence of a solution to the corresponding optimal control problem is proved.     

Extension of a piezoceramic bimorph with a crack crossing the interface

We consider the boundary-value problem of electroelasticity for a composite plate weakened by a crack crossing the line joining the media. The initial boundary-value problem, is reduced to a mixed system of singular integral and algebraic equations. We present the calculation results characterizing the variation in the stress intensity factors as a function of the opening angle of a segmented crack for different types of loading.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 482–488, July–August 1997.     

Derivatives of the energy functional for 2D‐problems with a crack under Signorini and friction conditions

We consider the two‐dimensional elasticity problem for an elastic body with a crack under unilateral constraints imposed at the crack. We assume that both the Signorini condition for non‐penetration of the crack faces and the condition of given friction between them are fulfilled. The problem is non‐linear and can be described by a variational inequality. Varying the shape of the crack by a local coordinate transformation of the domain, the first derivative of the energy functional to the problem with respect to the crack length is obtained, which gives the criterion for the crack growing. The regularity of the solution is discussed and the singular solution is performed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct FEM Simulation and Replacement Crack Approach for Mixed Mode Crack Growth in a Unit Cell

A whole class of continuum damage models uses microcracks as the main source of reduction of stiffness. For the growth of these cracks mostly only mode I is considered. We want to present a method to describe mixed mode crack growth inside a unit cell with a crack, without the need of a direct FEM simulation of crack growth per integration point. We replace the infinitesimal grown and kinked crack with the help of a replacement crack model. This replacement method is mainly based on the equivalence of the dissipation of the original kinking and the replacement crack. The resulting evolution of the stiffness of the unit cell is compared to a direct FEM simulation of mixed mode crack growth. The crack growth criterion used is the principle of maximum energy release rate, which has shown to be a direct consequence of a variational principle of a body with a crack [1]. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dynamic crack propagation in a 2D elastic body. The out-of plane case

We discuss the propagation of a running crack under shear waves in a rigorous mathematical way for a simplified model. This model is described by two coupled equations in the actual configuration: a two-dimensional scalar wave equation in a cracked bounded domain and an ordinary differential equation derived from an energy balance law. The unknowns are the displacement fields u = u (y, t) and the one-dimensional crack tip trajectory h = h (t). We handle both equations separately, assuming at first that the crack position is known. Existence and uniqueness of strong solutions of the wave equation are studied and the crack-tip singularities are derived under the assumption that the crack is straight and moves tangentially. Using an energy balance law and the crack tip behaviour of the displacement fields we finally arrive at an ordinary differential equation for h (t), called equation of motion for the crack tip. We demonstrate the crack-tip motion with corresponding nonuniformly crack speed by numerical simulations. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On subcritical development of a shear crack in a composite with viscoelastic components

We present results of an investigation of the development of a transverse shear crack in a composite material with linearly viscoelastic components under external shear load. The solution is divided into the following two main stages: determination of the time dependence of the crack tip opening displacement and determination of the crack-growth kinetics as a result of the solution of integral equations. In the first stage, we use the solution of the corresponding elastic problem of determination of the crack opening displacement and the problem of determination of the effective moduli of the composite reinforced with unidirectional discrete fibers. Using the theoretically proved principle of elasto-viscoelastic analogy and the method of Laplace inverse transformation, we obtain a solution in a time domain. In the second stage, using the criterion of critical crack opening displacement for a transverse shear crack and an equation for the viscoelastic crack opening displacement of this crack, we construct an equation of crack growth. We present results of the numerical solution, which illustrate the influence of relations between the relaxation parameters of the materials of the components on the durability of the body with a crack.     

Shape sensitivity for the Laplace-Beltrami operator with singularities

This paper considers shape sensitivity analysis for the Laplace-Beltrami operator formulated on a two-dimensional manifold with a fracture. We characterize the shape gradient of a functional as a bounded measure on the manifold and decompose it into a “distributed gradient” supported on the manifold, plus a singular part that we derive as the limit of a “jump” through the crack and Dirac measures at the crack extremities. The important point is that we introduce a technique that is not dimension dependent, and makes no use of classical arguments such as the maximum principle or continuation uniqueness. The technique makes use of a family of envelopes surrounding the fracture which enable us to relax certain terms and to overcome the lack of regularity resulting from the presence of the fracture. We use the min-max differentiation in order to avoid taking the derivative of the state equation and to manage the crack's singularities. Therefore, we write the functional in a min-max formulation on a space which takes into account the hidden boundary regularity established by the tangential extractor method.