On the Mode I stress intensity factor for an external circular crack with fibre bridging

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of an external matrix crack located in a unidirectional fibre-reinforced elastic solid modelled as a transversely isotropic material. The presence of matrix cracking with fibre continuity introduces bridging action that has an influence on the stress intensity factors at the crack tip of the external crack. This paper presents a model for the bridged crack, where the fibre ligaments induce a constant displacement-dependent traction constraint over the external crack. This gives rise to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind, which can be solved in an approximate fashion. We examine the specific problem where the bridged external circular crack is loaded by a doublet of concentrated forces. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the influence of the fibre–matrix modular ratio and the location of the loading on the bridged-crack opening mode stress intensity factor.     

Dynamic stress field for torsional impact of a penny-shaped crack in a transversely isotropic functional graded strip

The torsional impact response of a penny-shaped crack in a transversely isotropic strip is considered. The shear moduli are assumed to be functionally graded such that the mathematics is tractable. Laplace and Hankel transforms are used to reduce the problem to solving a Fredholm integral equation. The crack tip stress field is obtained by considering the asymptotic behavior of Bessel function. Investigated are the effects of material nonhomogeneity and orthotropy and strip’s highness on the dynamic stress intensity factor. The peak of the dynamic stress intensity factor can be suppressed by increasing the shear moduli’s gradient and/or increasing the shear modulus in a direction perpendicular to the crack surface. The dynamic behavior varies little with the increasing of the strip’s highness.     

On the dynamic interaction between a penny-shaped crack and an expanding spherical inclusion in 3-D solid

Three-dimensional stress investigation on the interaction between a penny-shaped crack and an expanding spherical inclusion in an infinite 3-D medium is studied in this paper. The spherical transformation area (the inclusion) expands in a self-similar way. By using the superposition principle, the original physical problem is decomposed into two sub-problems. The transient elastic filed of the medium with an expanding spherical inclusion is derived with the dynamic Green's function. A time domain boundary integral equation method (BIEM) is then adopted to solve the current problem. The numerical scheme applied here uses a constant shape function for elements away from the crack front, and a square root crack-tip shape function for elements near the crack tip to describe the proper behavior of the unknown quantities near the crack front. A collocation method as well as a time stepping scheme is applied to solve the BIEs. Numerical examples for the Mode I stress intensity factor are presented to assess the dynamic effect of the expanding inclusion.     

Thermal stress intensity factors of an infinite orthotropic layer with a crack

Stress intensity factors are determined for a crack in an infinite orthotropic layer. The crack is situated parallel to the plane surfaces of the layer. Stresses are solved for two kinds of the boundary conditions with respect to temperature field. In the first problem, the upper surface of the layer is heated to maintain a constant temperature T ₀, while the lower surface is cooled to maintain a constant temperature –T ₀. In the other problem, uniform heat flows perpendicular to the crack. The surfaces of the crack are assumed to be insulated. The boundary conditions are reduced to dual integral equations using the Fourier transform technique. To satisfy the boundary conditions outside the crack, the difference in temperature at the crack surfaces and differences in displacements are expanded in a series of functions that vanish outside the crack. The unknown coefficients in each series are evaluated using the Schmidt method. Stress intensity factors are then calculated numerically for a steel layer that behaves as an isotropic material and for a tyrannohex layer that behaves as an orthotropic material.     

Stress intensity factor solution for a semi-elliptical crack in an arbitrarily distributed stress field

An equation for the stress intensity factor (SIF) for semi-elliptical crack has been developed. It is based on the Newman-Raju's solution for the crack in a plate under bending or tension. The equation can be applied when a stress distribution is described by a power function. Using the approach outlined, the SIF for a surface crack in a T-butt welded connection has been estimated. The results obtained can be used in a fracture-mechanics-based fatigue analysis.     

The effect of crack surface interaction on the stress intensity factor in Mode III crack growth in round shafts

Turbine-generator shafts are often subjected to a complex transient torsional loading. Such transient torques may initiate and propagate a circumferential crack in the shafts. Mode III crack growth in turbo-generator shafts often results in a fracture surface morphology resembling a factory roof. The interaction of the mutual fracture surfaces results in a pressure and a frictional stress field between fracture surfaces when the shaft is subjected to torsion. This interaction reduces the effective Mode III stress intensity factor.The effective stress intensity factor in circumferentially cracked round shafts is evaluated for a wide range of applied torsional loading by considering a pressure distribution between mating fracture surfaces. The pressure between fracture surfaces results from climbing of asperities respect to each other. The pressure profile not only depends on the fracture surface roughness (height and width (wavelength) of the peak and valleys), but also depends on the magnitude of the applied Mode III stress intensity factor. The results show that asperity interactions significantly reduce the effective Mode III stress intensity factor. However, the interactions diminish beyond a critical applied Mode III stress intensity factor. The critical stress intensity factor depends on the asperities height and wavelength. The results of these analyses are used to find the effective stress intensity factor in various Mode III fatigue crack growth experiments. The results show that Mode III crack growth rate is related to the effective stress intensity factor in a form of the Paris law.     

The interaction of mode I crack with multi-inclusions in a three-phase model

An approximately close form solution has been developed for mode I crack interacting with multi-inclusions in composite materials. The crack-tip stress intensity factor is evaluated in a three-phase model, which combines the present knowledge that the inclusions only in the immediate neighborhood of the crack-tip have strong effect on the stress intensity factor and that the far inclusions have an overall effects which can be estimated by effective properties of the composites. As validated by numerical examples, the solution has good accuracy for a wide range of the modulus ratios between the inclusion and matrix material.     

Fracture analysis of a magnetoelectroelastic solid with a penny-shaped crack by considering the effects of the opening crack interior

A magnetoelectroelastic analysis for a penny-shaped crack embedded in an infinite piezoelectromagnetic material is made. Taking into account the fact that electric and magnetic fields can permeate through the opening crack, the electric and magnetic boundary conditions at the crack surfaces are assumed to be semi-permeable, or depend nonlinearly on the crack opening displacement. For the case of a circular crack normal to the poling direction, the associated mixed boundary value problem is reduced to solving dual integral equations by applying the Hankel transform technique. An entire magnetoelectroelastic field is obtained in simple and explicit form. Numerical results for a cracked BaTiO₃-CoFe₂O₄ material reveal the dependence of the electric displacement and magnetic induction at the crack surfaces with applied mechanical loading. The influences of applied electric and magnetic loadings on normalized fracture parameters are illustrated graphically for a vacuum circular crack. The impermeable and permeable cracks can be treated as two limiting cases of the present.     

Dynamic stress intensity factors due to scattering of harmonic waves by a crack in an infinite medium

An analytical method for calculating dynamic stress intensity factors in the mixed mode (combination of opening and sliding modes) using complex functions theory is presented. The crack is in infinite medium and subjected to the plane harmonic waves. The basis of the method is grounded on solving the two‐dimensional wave equations in the frequency domain and complex plane using mapping technique. In this domain, solution of the resulting partial differential equations is found in the series of the Hankel functions with unknown coefficients. Applying the boundary conditions of the crack, these coefficients are calculated. After solving the wave equations, the stress and displacement fields, also the J‐integrals are obtained. Finally using the J‐integrals, dynamic stress intensity factors are calculated. Numerical results including the values of dynamic stress intensity factors for a crack in an infinite medium subjected to the dilatation and shear harmonic waves are presented.     

Dynamic stress intensity factors around three cracks in an infinite elastic plane subjected to time-harmonic stress waves

The time-harmonic problem for an infinite elastic plane weakened by three parallel cracks has been solved. In this problem, two cracks are situated symmetrically on either side of a central crack and incident stresses impinge perpendicular to the cracks. Using the Fourier transform technique, the boundary conditions are reduced to four simultaneous integral equations. To solve the equations, the differences of displacements inside the cracks are expanded in a series. The unknown coefficients in the series are solved by the Schmidt method. The dynamic stress intensity factors are calculated numerically for several crack configurations. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fracture analysis of a penny-shaped magnetically dielectric crack in a magnetoelectroelastic material

In this paper we investigate the magnetoelectroelastic behavior induced by a penny-shaped crack in a magnetoelectroelastic material. The crack is assumed to be magnetically dielectric. A closed-form solution is derived by virtue of Hankel transform technique with the introduction of certain auxiliary functions. Field intensity factors are obtained and analyzed. The results indicate that the stress intensity factor depends only on the mechanical loads. However, all the other field intensity factors depend directly on both the magnetic and dielectric permeabilities inside the crack as well as on the applied magnetoelectromechanical loads and the material properties of the magnetoelectroelastic material. Several special cases are further discussed, with the reduced results being in agreement with those from literature. Finally, according to the maximum crack opening displacement (COD) criterion, the effects of the magnetoelectromechanical loads and the crack surface conditions on the crack propagation and growth are evaluated.     

Interaction of a penny-shaped crack with an elliptic crack under shear loading

The problem of interaction between equal coplanar elliptic cracks embedded in a homogeneous isotropic elastic medium and subjected to shear loading was solved analytically by Saha et al. (1999) International Journal of Solids and Structures 36, 619–637, using an integral equation method. In the present study the same integral equation method has been used to solve the title problem. Analytical expression for the two tangential crack opening displacement potentials have been obtained as series in terms of the crack separation parameter _i up to the order _i⁵,(i=1,2) for both the elliptic as well as penny-shaped crack. Expressions for modes II and III stress intensity factors have been given for both the cracks. The present solution may be treated as benchmark to solutions of similar problems obtained by various numerical methods developed recently. The analytical results may be used to obtain solutions for interaction between macro elliptic crack and micro penny-shaped crack or vice-versa when the cracks are subjected to shear loading and are not too close. Numerical results of the stress-intensity magnification factor has been illustrated graphically for different aspect ratios, crack sizes, crack separations, Poisson ratios and loading angles. Also the present results have been compared with the existing results of Kachanov and Laures (1989) International Journal of Fracture 41, 289–313, for equal penny-shaped cracks and illustrations have been given also for the special case of interaction between unequal penny-shaped cracks subjected to uniform shear loading.     

Analysis of the stress intensity factor dependence with the crack velocity using a lattice model

In this work, the influence of crack propagation velocity in the stress intensity factor has been studied. The analysis is performed with a lattice method and a linear elastic constitutive model. Numerous researchers determined the relationship between the dynamic stress intensity factor and crack propagation velocity with experimental and analytical results. They showed that toughness increases asymptotically when the crack tip velocity is near to a critical. However, these methods are very complex and computationally expensive; furthermore, the model requires the use of several parameters that are not easily obtained. Moreover, its practical implementation is not always feasible. Hence, it is usually omitted. This paper aims to capture the physics of this complex problem with a simple fracture criterion. The selected criterion is based on the maximum principal strain implemented in a lattice model. The method used to calculate the stress intensity factor is validated with other numerical methods. The selected example is a finite 2D notched under mode I fracture and different loads rates. Results show that the proposed model captures the asymptotic behaviour of the SIF in function of crack speed, as reported in the aforementioned models.     

Dynamic stress intensity factor due to concentrated loads on a propagating semi-infinite crack in orthotropic materials

The elastodynamic response of an infinite orthotropic material with a semi-infinite crack propagating at constant speed under the action of concentrated loads on the crack faces is examined. Solution for the stress intensity factor history around the crack tip is found for the loading modes I and II. Laplace and Fourier transforms along with the Wiener-Hopf technique are employed to solve the equations of motion. The asymptotic expression for the stress near the crack tip is analyzed which lead to a closed-form solution of the dynamic stress intensity factor. It is found that the stress intensity factor for the propagating crack is proportional to the stress intensity factor for a stationary crack by a factor similar to the universal function k(v) from the isotropic case. Results are presented for orthotropic materials as well as for the isotropic case.     

Estimations of stress intensity factor for a short crack in an elastic–plastic notch

This note presents a simple method for estimating the stress intensity factor (SIF) for a short crack emanating from an elastic–plastic notch.     

Threshold stress intensity factor and crack growth rate prediction under mixed-mode loading

A new mixed-mode threshold stress intensity factor is developed using a critical plane-based multiaxial fatigue theory and the Kitagawa diagram. The proposed method is a nominal approach since the fatigue damage is evaluated using remote stresses acting on a cracked component rather than stresses near the crack tip. An equivalent stress intensity factor defined on the critical plane is proposed to predict the fatigue crack growth rate under mixed-mode loading. A major advantage is the applicability of the proposed model to many different materials, which experience either shear or tensile dominated crack growth. The proposed model is also capable to nonproportional fatigue loading since the critical plane explicitly considers the influence of the load path. The predictions of the proposed fatigue crack growth model under constant amplitude loading are compared with a wide range of fatigue results in the literature. Excellent agreements between experimental data and model predictions are observed.     

A precise computation of stress intensity factor on the front of a convex planar crack

In this paper, we consider a general integral expression for mode I stress intensity factor along the fronts of convex planar cracks. For this integral approximation, we develop a simple numerical quadrature formula on every convex set Ω which allows a precise estimation of the error. This permits the use of extrapolation techniques for the accurate computation of the integral. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stress intensity factor for a crack normal to an interface between two orthotropic materials

In this paper, the problem of a crack normal to an interface in two joined orthotropic plates is studied as a plane problem. Body force method is used to investigate dependence of the stress intensity factor on the elastic constants: E _x1, E _y1, G _xy1, V _xy1 for material 1 and E _x2, E _y2, G _xy2, V _xy2 for material 2. A particular attention is paid to simplifying kernel functions, which is used in the body force method, so that all the elastic constants involved can be represented by three new parameters: H ₁, H _2I, H ₃ for the mode I deformation and H ₁, H _2II, H ₃ for the mode II deformation. From the kernel function so obtained it is found that the effects of the eight elastic constants on the stress intensity factors can be expressed by the three material parameters, H ₁, H _2I, H ₃ and H ₁, H _2II, H ₃, respectively for K _I and K _II. Furthermore, it is also found that the dependence of K _I on H ₁, H _2I, H ₃ is exactly the same as the dependence of K _II on H ₁, H _2II, H ₃. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of effective stress intensity factor range on mixed mode fatigue crack propagation

ABSTRACT The behaviour of fatigue crack propagation of rectangular spheroidal graphite cast iron plates, each consisting of an inclined semi‐elliptical crack, subjected to axial loading was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The inclined angle of the crack with respect to the axis of loading varied between 0° and 90°. In the present investigation, the growth of the fatigue crack was monitored using the AC potential drop technique, and a series of modification factors, which allow accurate sizing of such defects, is recommended. The rate of fatigue crack propagation db/dN is postulated to be a function of the effective strain energy density factor range, ΔS_eff. Subsequently, this concept is applied to predict crack growth due to fatigue loads. The mixed mode crack growth criterion is discussed by comparing the experimental results with those obtained using the maximum stress and minimum strain energy density criteria. The threshold condition for nongrowth of the initial crack is established based on the experimental data.     

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.