Asymptotic crack-tip fields for dynamic crack growth in compressive power-law hardening materials

The effect of material compressibility on the stress and strain fields for a mode-I crack propagating steadily in a power-law hardening material is investigated under plane strain conditions. The plastic deformation of materials is characterized by the J₂ flow theory within the framework of isotropic hardening and infinitesimal displacement gradient. The asymptotic solutions developed by the present authors [Zhu, X.K., Hwang K.C., 2002. Dynamic crack-tip field for tensile cracks propagating in power-law hardening materials. International Journal of Fracture 115, 323–342] for incompressible hardening materials are extended in this work to the compressible hardening materials. The results show that all stresses, strains, and particle velocities in the asymptotic fields are fully continuous and bounded without elastic unloading near the dynamic crack tip. The stress field contains two free parameters σ_eq0 and s₃₃₀ that cannot be determined in the asymptotic analysis, and can be determined from the full-field solutions. For the given values of σ_eq0 and s₃₃₀, all field quantities around the crack tip are determined through numerical integration, and then the effects of the hardening exponent n, the Poisson ratio ν, and the crack growth speed M on the asymptotic fields are studied. The approximate behaviors of the proposed solutions are discussed in the limit of ν → 0.5 or n → ∞.     

Asymptotic fields in steady crack growth with linear strain-hardening

The asymptotic stress and velocity fields of a crack propagating steadily and quasi-statically into an elastic-plastic material are presented. The material is characterized by J₂-flow theory with linear strain- hardening. The possibility of reloading on the crack flanks is taken into account. The cases of anti-plane strain (mode III), plane strain (modes I and II), and plane stress (modes I and II) are considered. Numerical results are given for the strength of the singularity and for the distribution of the stress and velocity fields in the plastic loading, elastic unloading and plastic reloading regions, as functions of the strain-hardening parameter. An attempt is made to make a connection with the perfectly-plastic solutions in the limit of vanishing strain-hardening.     

Asymptotic fields for interface crack in elastic-plastic material

Exact mathematical analyses are presented for interface crack between dissimilar elastic-plastic materials. The deformation theory of plasticity is used. For two kinds of boundary conditions on crack faces: (1) traction free and (2) frictionless contact, the asymptotic separable solutions of the HRR type with full continuity are obtained, which exist only for special mixity parameterM ^p. For any assignedM ^p, the separable solutions of the HRR type which contained weak discontinued line are further obtained. All of our results not only satisfy the continuity of displacements and that of tractions on the interface, but also they are free of oscillatory singularity and interpenetration of crack faces.This investigation is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Near-tip out of plane displacement fields for dynamic crack propagation in functionally graded materials

Asymptotic expansion for the out of plane displacement field around a crack propagating along the gradient in a functionally graded material is developed. The irregular behavior of one of the terms in the expansion at low crack speeds is further examined and a remedial solution, which is well behaved at low crack speeds, is proposed. The developed out of plane displacement field is used to estimate stress intensity factor from quasi-static finite element solution. The results indicate that inclusion of the proposed nonhomogeneity specific terms gives estimates of stress intensity factor, which are consistent with existing analytical predictions.     

A cohesive plastic and damage zone model for dynamic crack growth in rate-dependent materials

Mode I steady-state dynamic crack growth in rate-dependent viscoplastic solids containing damage, under small scale yielding conditions, is analyzed based on a modified cohesive zone model. A multi-scale approach is used to describe the entire non-linear zone consisting of a plastic region and a damage region, each of which has its own constitutive law. Traction in the damage region is characterized by a softening power-law, in terms of the ultimate strength, a softening index and a rate sensitivity factor. In the plastic region, the cohesive law is assumed to be both strain hardening and rate dependent. The critical crack opening displacement at the physical crack-tip controls crack growth. The governing integral equations are derived and solved by a collocation method combined with associated boundary conditions. Numerical results are presented for the traction and opening profiles along the cohesive zone, the fracture energy and lengths of the damage and non-linear zones at different crack speeds and for different material parameters. The importance of factors, such as material softening, plastic deformation, crack speed and viscosity, is identified by parametric studies. In addition, the competition of plastic flow and material damage, and its effect on crack growth, are discussed.     

A three-dimensional numerical study of mode I crack tip fields in pressure sensitive plastic solids

In this paper, a finite element study of 3D crack tip fields in pressure sensitive plastic solids (such as polymers or metallic glasses) under mode I, small scale yielding conditions is performed. The material is assumed to obey a small strain, Extended Drucker–Prager yield condition. The roles of pressure sensitive yielding, plastic dilatancy and yield locus shape on the 3D plastic zone development and near-crack front fields are systematically studied. It is found that while pressure sensitivity leads to a significant drop in the hydrostatic stress all along the 3D crack front, it enhances the plastic strain and crack opening displacements. The implications of these contrasting trends on ductile fracture processes are discussed in the light of some recent micro-mechanical simulations.     

Asymptotic analysis of transient curved crack in functionally graded materials

Transient mixed-mode elastodynamic crack growth along arbitrary smoothly varying paths in functionally graded materials (FGMs) is considered. The property gradation in FGMs is considered by varying shear modulus and mass density exponentially along the gradation direction. Crack tip out of plane displacement fields and their gradients are developed for propagating curved cracks of arbitrary velocity using asymptotic approach. The mode-mixity due to the inclination of curved crack with respect to property gradient is accommodated in the analysis through superposition of the opening and shear modes. The expansion of the displacement fields and their gradients around the crack-tip are derived in powers of radial coordinates with the coefficients of expansion depending on the instantaneous value of the local curvature of the crack path, time derivatives of crack-tip speed, and time derivative of mode-I and mode-II stress intensity factors. The effect of the transient terms instantaneous local curvature, crack-tip speed, time derivatives of crack-tip speed, and time derivative of mode-I and mode-II stress intensity factors on the contours of constant out of plane displacement are also discussed.     

Material force for dynamic crack propagation in multiphase micromorphic materials

Micromorphic theory, which considers material body as a continuous collection of deformable particles of finite size and inner structure; each has nine independent degrees of freedom describing the stretches and rotations of the particle in addition to the three classical translational degrees of freedom of its center, is briefly introduced in this work. The concept of material forces, which may also be referred as Eshelbian mechanics, is extended to micromorphic theory. The balance law of pseudo-momentum is formulated. The detailed expressions of Eshelby stress tensor, pseudo-momentum, and material forces are derived for thermoelastic micromorphic solid. It is found that the material forces are due to (1) body force and body moment, (2) temperature gradient and (3) material inhomogeneities in density, microinertia, and elastic coefficients. The general expression of material forces due to the presence of dynamically propagating crack front has also been derived. It is found that, at the crack front, material force is reduced to the J-integral in a very special and restrictive case.     

蠕变材料Ⅰ型动态扩展裂纹尖端场

为了研究黏性效应作用下的动态扩展裂纹尖端渐近场,建立了蠕变材料Ⅰ型动态扩展裂纹的 力学模型.首先,依据在稳态蠕变阶段,弹性变形和黏性变形同时在裂纹尖端场中占主导地 位,由量级协调可知,应力和应变具有相同的奇异量级,即(σ,ε)∝/ r- 1/(n-1). 其次,通过渐近分析推导出动态扩展裂纹尖端场的控制方程并求得了裂纹尖端应 力、应变和位移分离变量形式的渐近解.最后,采用双参数打靶法求得了裂纹尖端应力、应 变的数值结果.数值计算表明,裂尖场主要受材料的蠕变指数n和马赫数M的控制;在Ⅰ 型动态扩展裂纹前方,环向应变达到最大值,可据此建立断裂准则. 由于裂纹稳定扩展与非稳定扩展的主奇异项相同,因此对于稳定扩展裂纹的渐近分析方 法,同样适用于非稳定的裂纹扩展问题.     

Dynamic crack tip fields and dynamic crack propagation characteristics of anisotropic material

Based on mechanics of anisotropic material, the dynamic crack propagation problem of I/II mixed mode crack in an infinite anisotropic body is investigated. Expressions of dynamic stress intensity factors for modes I and II crack are obtained. Components of dynamic stress and dynamic displacements around the crack tip are derived. The strain energy density theory is used to predict the dynamic crack extension angle. The critical strain energy density is determined by the strength parameters of anisotropic materials. The obtained dynamic crack tip fields are unified and applicable to the analysis of the crack tip fields of anisotropic material, orthotropic material and isotropic material under dynamic or static load. The obtained results show Crack propagation characteristics are represented by the mechanical properties of anisotropic material, i.e., crack propagation velocity M and fiber direction α. In particular, the fiber direction α and the crack propagation velocity M give greater influence on the variations of the stress fields and displacement fields. Fracture angle is found to depend not only on the crack propagation but also on the anisotropic character of the material.     

Asymptotic fields around an interfacial crack with a cohesive zone ahead of the crack tip

This paper considers an interfacial crack with a cohesive zone ahead of the crack tip in a linearly elastic isotropic bi-material and derives the mixed-mode asymptotic stress and displacement fields around the crack and cohesive zone under plane deformation conditions (plane stress or plane strain). The field solution is obtained using elliptic coordinates and complex functions and can be represented in terms of a complete set of complex eigenfunction terms. The imaginary portion of the eigenvalues is characterized by a bi-material mismatch parameter ε = arctanh(β)/π, where β is a Dundurs parameter, and the resulting fields do not contain stress singularity. The behaviors of “Mode I” type and “Mode II” type fields based on dominant eigenfunction terms are discussed in detail. For completeness, the counterpart for the Mode III solution is included in an appendix.     

Generating dynamic crack growth resistance curves for fiber-reinforced concrete

Fiber-reinforced concrete is known to have a greater resistance to impact and impulsively applied loads than its plain counterpart. However, the exact mechanisms that contribute to this enhanced resistance are not known, and fundamental fracture tests are necessary to develop such an understanding. To this end, an instrumented drop weight impact machine was configured to perform dynamic fracture studies on fiber-reinforced concrete specimens. Cracks were allowed to open in Mode I under high rates of loading using contoured double cantilever beam specimens. The paper describes the test apparatus, instrumentation, calibration, and the data analysis. The technique was applied to investigate dynamic crack growth in two types of fiber-reinforced concrete composites: one with steel macrofiber and the other with polypropylene macrofiber. Companion tests were performed under quasi-static conditions. Test data indicate that the proposed technique can be successfully applied to study dynamic crack growth in cement-based composites and to further enhance their properties.     

Singular plastic fields in wedge indentation of pressure sensitive solids

The paper examines singular plastic fields induced near the tip of a wedge indentating a pressure sensitive solid. Plane strain conditions are assumed and material response is modelled by the small strain Drucker–Prager rigid/plastic constitutive law. A standard separation of variables solution is numerically generated for pure power-law hardening. Three possible measures of wall roughness are studied with an attempt to expose the coupling between wall friction and material pressure sensitivity. Sample calculations illustrate that stress singularity decreases with increasing friction, wedge angle and hardening exponent, but increases with pressure sensitivity. At large values of the hardening exponent, when the material is nearly perfectly plastic, effective stress contours approach the slip line limit. The concept of indentation index is introduced as a possible estimate for average indentation pressure.     

Subcritical crack growth in strain-hardening materials with allowance for strain anisotropy

Institute of Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 90–94, February, 1988.     

A numerical method for crack growth analysis in linearly viscoelastic materials

This paper presents a numerical method for the analysis of crack initiation and extension in linearly viscoelastic materials undergoing Mode I plane stress deformation. Plastic deformation near the crack tip is considered by a strip-yielding model. The crack initiation and growth are taken to follow a critical energy release rate fracture criterion, and the plastic work per unit crack extension is included in the calculation of the total energy release rate. The resulting numerical method is presented in algorithmic form and two example problems are solved to demonstrate its application. The two example problems represent unstable and stable crack propagations respectively. The results obtained lend insight into the effect of creep deformation on the initiation and growth of a crack.     

Asymptotic mechanical fields at the tip of a mode I crack in rubber-like solids

Asymptotic analyses of the mechanical fields in front of stationary and propagating cracks facilitate the understanding of the mechanical and physical state in front of crack tips, and they enable prediction of crack growth and failure. Furthermore, efficient modelling of arbitrary crack growth by use of XFEM (extended finite element method) requires accurate knowledge of the asymptotic crack tip fields. In the present work, we perform an asymptotic analysis of the mechanical fields in the vicinity of a propagating mode I crack in rubber. Plane deformation is assumed, and the material model is based on the Langevin function, which accounts for the finite extensibility of polymer chains. The Langevin function is approximated by a polynomial, and only the term of the highest order contributes to the asymptotic solution. The crack is predicted to adopt a wedge-like shape, i.e. the crack faces will be straight lines. The angle of the wedge and the order of the stress singularity depend on the hardening of the strain energy function. The present analysis shows that in materials with a significant hardening, the inertia term in the equations of motion becomes negligible in the asymptotic analysis. Hence, there is no upper theoretical limit to the crack speed.     

A model for elastic-plastic pressure sensitive materials subjected to large deformations

Development of a finite deformation elasto-plastic model for pressure sensitive materials is presented. The chosen model, which has its roots in the MRS-Lade material model is influenced by recent developments. The thermodynamic consequences of introducing non-associative yielding (both deviatoric and volumetric) and hardening⧸softening characteristics are assessed. The consistently linearized Algorithmic Tangent Stiffness (ATS) tensor is presented. This tensor is used in the constitutive driver as a key feature of the efficient iterative procedure for satisfying equilibrium in the case of stress (or mixed) control.The chosen model is calibrated using data from experiments conducted in a Directional Shear Cell (DSC) , which has been used extensively at the University of Colorado at Boulderto investigate the behavior of pressure sensitive materials under deformations of large magnitude.     

Toughness increment by crack growth in toughened structural materials

Material toughening could be furnished by the energy dissipating wakes and bridging segments during crack growth. According to their contributions to the energy integral applicable to a growing crack, the toughening mechanisms are categorized as: dilatational plasticity and induced shear yielding in the crack wakes, bridging due to second inclusion phases, and the matrix bridging caused by wavy crack front. Detailed toughening analysis is pursued for structural polymers and composite materials reinforced by short aligned fibers. Sponsored by the State Education Commission of China and by the Fok Ying-Tung Education Foundation