Study on fast fracture and crack arrest

In this paper, the experimental results of brittle-crack propagation and arrest on structural steels are analyzed using the finite-difference method. The test specimens used are double-tension and double-cantilever type (DCB). It is found that dynamic consideration is indispensable for general interpretation of fast fracture and crack arrest and material toughness can be defined as a function of temperature and crack velocity. Using the defined fracture toughness, crack-propagation-arrest behavior can be predicted by crack-propagation simulation if the condition of boundary loading of a specimen is known. This implies a possibility to develop simple methods for crack-arrester design.