A remark on the direct numerical determination of stress intensity factors at crack tips

A numerical method for the direct determination of stress intensity factors at crack tips from the numerical solution of the corresponding singular integral equations is proposed. This method is based on the Gauss-Chebyshev method for the numerical solution of singular integral equations and is shown to be equivalent to the Lobatto-Chebyshev method for the numerical solution of the same class of equations.     

Stress intensity factors at crack tips near boundaries or other geometrical discontinuities

A modification of the Lobatto-Chebyshev method for the numerical solution of Cauchy type singular integral equations appearing in plane or antiplane elasticity crack problems and the determination of stress intensity factors at crack tips is presented. This modification, based on a variable transformation, permits the selection of abscissas and collocation points used to be modified so as to obtain rapid convergence of the numerical results for the stress intensity factors to their correct values. The proposed technique is seen to be particularly effective for crack problems with crack tips near boundaries, interfaces or other geometrical discontinuities. Two applications of the method, to a periodic array of cracks in plane elasticity and to an antiplane shear crack near a boundary, show the effectiveness of the method.

---

Résumé Une modification de la méthode Lobatto-Chebyshev pour la solution numérique des équations singulières intégrales de type Cauchy apparaissant en problèmes de fissures dans l'élasticité plane ou antiplane et la détermination des facteurs d'intensité des contraintes aux extrémités des fissures est présentée. Cette modification, basée sur une transformation de variable, permet de modifier la sélection des abscisses et des points de collocation utilisés pour obténir une convergence rapide des résultats numériques pour les facteurs d'intensité des contraintes à leurs valeurs correctes. La technique proposée est vue d'être particulièrement effective pour des problèmes des fissures avec des extrémités près de limites, d'interfaces ou d'autres discontinuités géometriques. Deux applications de la méthode, à une série périodique des fissures dans l'élasticité plane et à une fissure près d'une limite dans l'élasticité antiplane, montrent l'efficacité de la méthode.

     

Thermal stress singularities at tips of a crack in a semi-infinite medium under uniform heat flow

In the framework of plane thermoelastic problems is discussed the thermal stress field near the tips of an arbitrarily inclined crack in an isotropic semi-infinite medium with the thermally insulated edge surface under uniform heat flow. The crack is replaced by continuous distributions of quasi-Volterra dislocations corresponding to line heat sources and edge dislocations, and we obtain a set of simultaneous singular integral equations for dislocation density functions, whose solution is given in the forms of series in terms of Tchebycheff polynomials of the first kind. By means of this method, the thermal stress singularities at the crack tips are estimated exactly and the stress intensity factors can be readily evaluated. Numerical results are given for the particular case where the surface of the inclined crack is maintained at constant temperature and the heat supplied across the surface of the crack vanishes as a whole. The effects of the distance from the crack tip to the edge surface of the semi-infinite medium and the angle of inclination of the crack on the stress intensity factors and the initial direction of crack extension are shown graphically.     

The stress intensity for an edge crack in a semi-infinite orthotropic body

The problem of an edge crack in a semi-infinite plane of linear elastic orthotropic material is studied. The correction factor which relates the stress intensity factor for this problem to that for an isolated crack in an infinite body is evaluated for a range of orthotropic material properties. Calculations are restricted to mode I problems. The method requires the numerical solution of an integral equation, the integrands in which are derived from related complex variable solutions.

---

Resumé On étudie le problème d'une fissure de bord dans un plan semi-infini en un matériau linéaire eastique et orthotrope. On évalue pour une gamme de propriétés orthotropes du matériau le facteur de correction qui permet de relier le facteur d'intensité de contraintes relatif à ce problème à celui relatif à une fissure isolée dans un corps infini. Ces calculs sont limités aux problèmes de rupture selon le mode. I. La méthode exige de trouver la solution numérique d'une intégrale dont les intégrants sont tirés de solutions associées à variables complexes.

     

Elastodynamic stress intensity factors for a semi-infinite crack due to three-dimensional concentrated shear loadings on the crack faces

The dynamic stress intensity factors for a semi-infinite crack in an otherwise unbounded elastic body is investigated. The crack is subjected to a pair of suddenly-applied shear point loads on its faces at a distance l away from the crack tip. This problem is treated as the superposition of two problems. The first problem considers the disturbance by a concentrated shear force acting on the surface of an elastic half space, while the second problem discusses a half space with its surface subjected to the negative of the tangential surface displacements induced by the first problem in the front of the crack edge. A fundamental problem is proposed and solved by means of integral transforms together with the application of the Wiener–Hopf technique and Cagniard–de Hoop method. Exact expressions are then derived for the mode II and III dynamic stress intensity factors by taking integration over the fundamental solution. Some features of the solutions are discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Complex stress intensity factors at tips of cracks along interfaces of dissimilar media

The method of reflected caustics was used to determine the complex stress intensity factors at the tips of cracks having any shape, which lie at the interface of two dissimilar elastic media. For the evaluation of complex S.I.Fs two measurements of appropriate lengths have to be made on the caustic formed at the crack tip. These measurements allow the determination of both the absolute value and the argument of the respective stress intensity factor. The method was applied for the solution of problems which are referred to cracks at interfaces between two elastic dissimilar media. The experimental results show a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical methods of evaluating SIFs.     

Plane stress deformation zones at crack tips in polycarbonate

The plastic deformation produced crack tips in polycarbonate (PC) films stretched in tension, has been characterized by optical and transmission electron microscopy. An extensive and diffuse region of deformation is formed in unannealed specimens. Within this zone the ratio (v _f) of local film thickness to the (undeformed) thickness far away from the crack varies gradually both along and across the zone. The minimum ratio of 0.5 occurs at the crack tip. In contrast to this behaviour, films annealed for a short time just below the glass transition temperature T _g showed a highly localized response, the plastic strain being confined to a well-defined flame shaped deformation zone (DZ) ahead of the crack. Within most of this DZ, v _f is constant at 0.7, rising to 1 over a distance of 10 m at the zone tip, and falling to 0.5 over a distance of 4 m around the crack tip. Bi-refringence measurements show that a high degree of molecular orientation occurs within the zone. These experiments support the idea that an increase in the localization of the plastic strain response upon annealing below T _g is responsible for the embrittlement of PC by such heat treatment.     

Shear stress intensity factor near semi-infinite cylindrical crack edges under their shock loading

The discontinuous solution of the torsional vibration equation for an elastic medium with a flaw in the form of a semi-infinite cylindrical crack is constructed. The method of solving the integro-differential equation describing the distribution of shear stresses along the edges of a cylindrical crack is presented. The evaluation procedure for a stress intensity factor and its numerical calculation for the case of short times under the shock loading of cylindrical crack edges are given. It is established that the magnitude of a dynamic stress intensity factor can be used to determine the condition of shock wave interactions with structural heterogeneities at the high-rate deformation of treated surfaces containing flaws in the form of cylindrical cracks. Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp 63–72, May–June, 1999.     

Stress intensity factors for a semi-elliptical crack in the surface of a semi-infinite solid

The stress intensity factors are presented for a vertical semi-elliptical surface crack in an elastic semi-infinite body which is subjected to a constant pressure on the crack surface. The approach utilizes a singular integral equation which is defined over the crack area only, where the weakness of the stress singularity is taken into account near the corner points at which the crack periphery intersects the surface of the semi-infinite body.This pertinent approach provides the proper assessment of the stress intensity factors in the vicinity of the corner points, and reveals that the stress intensity factor reaches a maximum value near the corner point and then decreases to zero as the point is approached.

---

Résumé On présente les facteurs d'intensité de contrainte pour une fissure de surface verticale semi-elliptique dans un corps élastique semi-infini soumis à une pression constante sur la surface de la fissure. L'approche utilisée recourt à une intégrale singulière définie uniquement sur la superficie de la fissure, où l'on prend en considération l'affaiblissement de la singularité des contraintes au voisinage des points où la périphérie de la fissure est en intersection avec la surface du corps semi-infini.Cette approche permet d'obtenir les facteurs d'intensité de contrainte au voisinage des points considérés et révèle que le facteur d'intensité des contraintes passe par un maximum en ceux-ci et décroît vers zéro lorsqu'on s'en éloigne.

     

Stress intensity factors for an elliptical crack approaching the surface of a semi-infinite solid

Stress intensity factors for an embedded elliptical crack approaching the free surface of the semi-infinite solid that is subjected to uniform tension perpendicular to the plane of crack are presented in a nondimensional form for various crack aspect ratios and crack distances from the free surface. Stress intensity factors are determined numerically using an alternating technique with two solutions. The first solution involves an elliptical crack in a solid and subjected to normal loading expressible in a polynomial of x and y. The second solution involves stresses in the half space due to prescribed normal and shear stresses on the surface. Effect of the Poisson's ratio on these stress intensity factors is also investigated. Stress intensity factors for a semi-elliptical surface crack in a tinite thickness plate are then estimated in a nondimensional form for various crack aspect ratios and crack depth to plate thickness ratios.Specialist Engineer, Aerospace Group, The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington.Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, and also Aerospace Group, The Boeing Company, Seattle.     

Fractal effects of crack propagation on dynamic stress intensity factors and crack velocities

Crack extension paths are often irregular, producing rough fracture surfaces which have a fractal geometry. In this paper, crack tip motion along a fractal crack trace is analysed. A fractal kinking model of the crack extension path is established to describe irregular crack growth. A formula is derived to describe the effects of fractal crack propagation on the dynamic stress intensity factor and on crack velocity. The ratio of the dynamic stress intensity factor to the applied stress intensity factor K(L(D, t), V)/K(L(t), 0), is a function of apparent crack velocity V_o, microstructure parameter d/a (grain size/crack increment step length), fractal dimension D, and fractal kinking angle of crack extension path . For fractal crack propagation, the apparent (or measured) crack velocity V_o, cannot approach the Rayleigh wave speed Cr. Why V_o is significantly lower than Cr in dynamic fracture experiments can be explained by the effects of fractal crack propagation. The dynamic stress intensity factor and apparent crack velocity are strongly affected by the microstructure parameter (d/a), fractal dimension D, and fractal kinking angle of crack extension path . This is in good agreement with experimental findings.     

Boundary element crack closure calculation of three-dimensional stress intensity factors

A general method for boundary element-crack closure integral calculation of three-dimensional stress intensity factors is presented. An equation for the strain energy release rate in terms of products of nodal values of tractions and displacements is obtained. Embedded and surface cracks of modes I, II, and III are analyzed using the proposed method. The multidomain boundary element technique is introduced so that the crack surface geometry is correctly modeled and the unsymmetrical boundary conditions for mode's II and III crack analysis are handled conveniently. Conventional quadrilateral elements are sufficient for this method and the selection of the size of the crack front elements is independent of the crack mode and geometry. For all of the examples demonstrated in this paper, 54 boundary elements are used, and the most suitable ratio of the width of the crack front elements to the crack depth is 1/10 and the calculation error is kept within ±1.5 percent. Compared to existing analytical and finite element solutions the boundary element-crack closure integral method is very efficient and accurate and it can be easily applied to general three-dimensional crack problems.     

Determining stress intensity factors of composites using crack opening displacement

The main purpose of this paper is to find the mixed-mode stress intensity factors of composite materials using the crack opening displacement (COD). First, a series solution of the composite material with a crack was used to evaluate COD values. Then, the least-squares method was used to calculate mixed-mode stress intensity factors. This algorithm can be applied to any method that generates or measures COD values. The major advantage of this method is that COD values very near the crack tip are not necessary. Both finite element simulations and laboratory experiments were applied to validate this least-squares method with acceptable accuracy if the even terms of the series solution are removed.     

Contour integral method for stress intensity factors of interface crack

A general Betti's reciprocal work theorem with interface cracks of a bimaterial is established in this paper, and a path independent contour integral method for the stress intensity factor (SIF) of the interface crack was obtained. When the stress and displacement fields in a specimen are calculated by the finite element method, the SIF K _I and K _II of interface cracks can be obtained immediately by a contour integral. Some solutions of interesting examples, such as two collinear interface cracks, are also given.Presented at the Far East Fracture Group (FEFG) International Symposium on Fracture and Strength of Solids, 4–7 July 1994 in Xi'an China.