A model for crack formation during active solid pyrolysis of a char-forming solid: crack patterns; surface area generation; volatile mass efflux

A model is developed for the formation and propagation of cracks in a material sample that is heated at its top surface, pyrolyses, and then thermally degrades to form char. In this work the sample is heated uniformly over its entire top surface by a hypothetical flame (a heat source). The pyrolysis mechanism is described by a one-step overall reaction that is dependent nonlinearly on the temperature (Arrhenius form). Stresses develop in response to the thermal degradation of the material by means of a shrinkage strain caused by local mass loss during pyrolysis. When the principal stress exceeds a prescribed threshold value, the material forms a local crack. Cracks are found to generally originate at the surface in response to heating, but occasionally they form in the bulk, away from ever-changing material boundaries. The resulting cracks evolve and form patterns whose characteristics are described. Quantities examined in detail are: the crack spacing in the pyrolysis zone; the crack length evolution; the formation and nature of crack loops which are defined as individual cracks that have joined to form loops that are disconnected from the remaining material; the formation of enhanced pyrolysis area; and the impact of all of the former quantities on mass flux. It is determined that the mass flux from the sample can be greatly enhanced over its nominal (non-cracking) counterpart. The mass efflux profile qualitatively resembles those observed in Cone Calorimeter tests.     

Simulation of the Action of a Permeable Barrier on an Ideal Incompressible Channel Flow

Plane ideal incompressible flow in a rectangular channel partitioned by a thin permeable barrier (lattice) is considered. In flowing through the lattice the stream suddenly (jumpwise) changes direction and loses energy. The flow is assumed to be vortical; the vorticity is discontinuous on the lattice. A mathematical formulation of the problem for the stream function is proposed in the form of a nonlinear elliptic equation with coefficients discontinuous on the lattice line. A numerical solution is constructed using the finite-element iteration method. The results of the numerical simulation show how the flow velocity profile in the channel can be controlled by means of permeable barriers.     

Closed-form solutions for a rectangular layer with central crack under anti-plane shear stress

We consider the problem of determining the stress distributionin a finite rectangular elastic layer containing a Griffithcrack which is opened by internal shear stress acting alongthe length of the crack. The mode III crack is assumed to belocated in the middle plane of the rectangular layer. The followingtwo problems are considered: (A) the central crack is perpendicularto the two fixed lateral surfaces and parallel to the othertwo stress-free surfaces; (B) all the lateral surfaces of therectangular layer are clamped and the central crack is parallelto the two lateral surfaces. By using Fourier transformations,we reduce the solution of each problem to the solution of dualintegral equations with sine kernels and a weight function whichare solved exactly. Finally, we derive closed-form expressionsfor the stress intensity factor at the tip of the crack andthe numerical values for the stress intensity factor at theedges of the cracks are presented in the form of tables.     

In-Situ Intrinsic Interface Strength Measurement at Elevated Temperatures and its Relationship to Interfacial Structure

A previously developed laser spallation technique has been modified to measure the tensile strength of thin film interfaces in-situ at temperatures up to 1100°C. Tensile strengths of Nb/A-plane sapphire, FeCrAl/A-plane sapphire and FeCrAlY/A-plane sapphire were measured up to 950°C. The measured strengths at high temperatures were substantially lower compared with their corresponding strengths at ambient temperature. For example, at 850°C, the interface tensile strength for the Nb/sapphire (151 ± 17 MPa), FeCrAl/sapphire (62 ± 8 MPa) and FeCrAlY/sapphire (82 ± 11 MPa) interface systems were lower by factors of approximately, 3, 5, and 8, respectively, over their corresponding ambient values. These results underscore the importance of using such in-situ measured values under operating conditions as the failure criterion in any life prediction or reliability models of such coated systems where local interface temperature excursions are expected. The results on alloy film interfaces also demonstrate that the presence of Y increases the strength of FeCrAl/Al₂O₃ interfaces.     

Shape sensitivity of a plane crack front

The 3D‐elasticity model of a solid with a plane crack under the stress‐free boundary conditions at the crack is considered. We investigate variations of a solution and of energy functionals with respect to perturbations of the crack front in the plane. The corresponding expansions at least up to the second‐order terms are obtained. The strong derivatives of the solution are constructed as an iterative solution of the same elasticity problem with specified right‐hand sides. Using the expansion of the potential and surface energy, we consider an approximate quadratic form for local shape optimization of the crack front defined by the Griffith criterion. To specify its properties, a procedure of discrete optimization is proposed, which reduces to a matrix variational inequality. At least for a small load we prove its solvability and find a quasi‐static model of the crack growth depending on the loading parameter. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of the Lazarus-Leblond constants in the asymptotic model of the interfacial wavy crack

The paper addresses the problem of a semi-infinite plane crack along the interface between two isotropic half-spaces. Two methods of solution have been considered in the past: Lazarus and Leblond [1998a. Three-dimensional crack-face weight functions for the semi-infinite interface crack-I: variation of the stress intensity factors due to some small perturbation of the crack front. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 46, 489-511, 1998b. Three-dimensional crack-face weight functions for the semi-infinite interface crack-II: integrodifferential equations on the weight functions and resolution J. Mech. Phys. Solids 46, 513-536] applied the “special” method by Bueckner [1987. Weight functions and fundamental fields for the penny-shaped and the half-plane crack in three space. Int. J. Solids Struct. 23, 57-93] and found the expression of the variation of the stress intensity factors for a wavy crack without solving the complete elasticity problem; their solution is expressed in terms of the physical variables, and it involves five constants whose analytical representation was unknown; on the other hand, the “general” solution to the problem has been recently addressed by Bercial-Velez et al. [2005. High-order asymptotics and perturbation problems for 3D interfacial cracks. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53, 1128-1162], using a Wiener-Hopf analysis and singular asymptotics near the crack front.The main goal of the present paper is to complete the solution to the problem by providing the connection between the two methods. This is done by constructing an integral representation for Lazarus-Leblond's weight functions and by deriving the closed form representations of Lazarus-Leblond's constants.     

On parametric instability of viscous two-layer fluid in a vessel with a permeable bottom

A linear problem of parametric oscillations of a low-viscous two-layer fluid in a closed vessel partially filled with a porous medium is studied. An asymptotic solution is constructed on the basis of combined application of boundary functions and averaging methods. Approximate formulas for boundaries of instability domains in the case of subharmonic and harmonic resonances are derived.     

Multi-cracks problem for piezoelectric materials strip subjected to dynamic loading

This paper analyses and models the dynamic interaction among permeable multi-cracks in a piezoelectric strip under anti-plane shear waves by the Schmidt method. The Fourier transform is applied and then two pairs of triple integral equations can be solved using the Schmidt method. The results show that the stress and the electric displacement intensity factors of cracks depend on not only the crack length and the piezoelectric coefficient, but also the thickness of the piezoelectric strip, the distance between multi-cracks and the frequency of incident wave.     

Eigenvalues of the antiplane-shear crack problem for a power-law material

This paper discusses the problem of finding the eigenvalue spectrum in determining the stress and strain fields at the tip of an antiplane-shear crack in a power-law material. It is shown that the perturbation method provides an analytical dependence of the eigenvalue on the material nonlinearity parameter and the eigenvalue of the linear problem. Thus, it is possible to find the entire spectrum of eigenvalues and not only the eigenvalue of the Hutchinson-Rice-Rosengren problem. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 173–180, January–February, 2008.     

Non-elliptic deformation field near the tip of a mixed-mode crack in a compressible hyperelastic material

This paper gives an asymptotic analysis of the deformation field near the tip of an arbitrary mixed-mode crack in a compressible hyperelastic harmonic material which loses ellipticity at sufficiently large deformations. It is found that the near-tip deformation field is characterized by a localized non-elliptic deformation band issuing from the crack-tip and bounded by two curves of discontinuous deformation gradient. Explicit expression for the near-tip deformation field is obtained both inside and outside the localized deformation band. In particular, a simple relation is derived that determines the orientation of the deformation band in terms of two complex governing parameters of the near-tip fields inside and outside the deformation band, respectively.