Stability analysis of crack path using the strain energy density theory

Prediction of crack growth path is a pre-requisite for estimating the final shape of broken solids and structures. Crack path in broken specimens provides information for the loading conditions just before fracture. Experiments on brittle materials, pre-cracked specimens of the same geometry under similar loading conditions, however, may yield different crack trajectories at times. The existing theories for the prediction of the crack path are based on the perturbation method combining the analytical and finite elements methods. They require a knowledge of the toughness equations. Moreover, they can only be applied to specimens with simple geometry and loadings.A different approach is used in the present work. The finite element technique is used to calculate the strain energy density (SED) contours. The predicted trajectory of the crack during unstable propagation is assumed to coincide with the minimum of the strain energy density function according to the SED criterion.The degree of crack path stability depends on the sharpness of the SED oscillations. This simple method offers a reliable prediction of the crack path stability for two as well as three-dimensional problems with complex geometry structures and arbitrary loadings. To be specific, both the TPB and DCB specimens are analysed. The findings are in good agreement with the theoretical and experimental results in the literature.