On phase transitions in a domain of material inhomogeneity. II. Interaction of a crack with an inclusion experiencing a phase transition

We pose and study the problem on the interaction between a crack and an inclusion experiencing a phase transition of martensite type. We develop an algorithm for determining the inclusion phase state, which is numerically implemented with the finite element method. This procedure is used to study the inclusion phase transitions in the crack-induced field including the effects of the interaction between the crack and the inclusion. The detailed strain fields are calculated depending on the relative position of the crack and the inclusion, the external field, and the material parameters. It is shown that, for sufficient residual strains arising in the inclusion because of the crack, the inclusion material experiences a phase transition, which, in turn, can change the character of the subsequent crack propagation. We demonstrate that a stress-independent intrinsic phase transition, which can be caused, for example, by a change in the temperature, can also affect the crack propagation path. We also show that the influence of the phase transition induced field on the crack propagation path can be suppressed by the external field.