Crack growth prediction and non-linear analysis for an elasto-plastic solid

In this paper, a variable radius for the plastic zone is introduced and a maximum principal stress criterion is proposed for the prediction of crack initiation and growth. It is assumed that the direction of crack initiation coincides with the direction of the maximum principal stress. The von Mises yield criterion is applied to define the plastic zone, instead of assuming a plastic zone with a constant distance r from the crack tip. An improvement is made to this fracture criterion, and the criterion is extended to study the crack growth characteristics of mixed mode cracks. Based on the concept of frictional stress intensity factor, k_f, the rate of fatigue crack propagation, db/dN, is postulated to be a function of the effective stress intensity factor range, Δk_eff. Subsequently, this concept is applied to predict crack growth due to fatigue loads. The proposed crack growth model is discussed by comparing the experimental results with those obtained using the maximum principal stress criterion.     

Unified triaxiality at the crack tip subjected to plane strain condition under mixed‐mode (I + II) fracture

The new model of stress triaxiality, subjected to plane strain condition under mixed‐mode (I + II) loading, at the yield loci of the crack tip, has been formulated using unified strength theory. It evaluates critical values of triaxiality for various convex and non‐convex failure criteria, unlike the existing model. It shows the effects of Poisson's ratio and intermediate principal stress for materials whose strength in tension and compression is either equal or unequal. Further, on this basis, the crack initiation angles are predicted for various crack inclinations and compared with those obtained from other fracture criteria. The plastic zone shapes supplement the results. Critical yield stress factor, a significant parameter at the crack tip got lowered as the difference among the three principal stresses reduced to a minimum. The crack initiation angles obtained from the model showed good agreement with those obtained from G‐, S‐, and T‐criterion.     

Prediction of fatigue crack growth path in mechanical joints using a weight function approach

Cracks often initiate from the mechanical joints which are widely used in structural components. It has been reported that cracks in mechanical joints are under mixed‐mode condition and there is a critical angle at which mode I stress intensity factor becomes maximum. The crack propagates in an arbitrary direction and the prediction of fatigue crack growth path is needed to provide against crack propagation and examine safety. In this study, mixed‐mode fatigue crack growth tests are performed for horizontal and critical inclined cracks in mechanical joints. Fatigue crack growth paths are predicted using a weight function approach and maximum tangential stress criterion.     

混凝土结构I型裂纹裂尖塑性区研究

应用双剪统一强度理论,研究了I型裂纹的塑性变形问题。给出了包含反映材料拉压性能差异的参数拉压比及反映中间主应力效应的参数b的I型裂纹裂尖塑性区形状和大小的统一解。已有的Tresca准则、Mises准则和Mohr-Coulomb准则解均是本文的特例或线性逼近。针对混凝土结构,画出了不同参数b情况下的裂尖塑性区半径变化图。得出了材料拉压比对I型裂纹裂尖塑性区影响很大。b对I型裂纹裂尖塑性区影响随拉压比的不同而不同,拉压比较大时,b对塑性区影响大,拉压比较小时,b对塑性区影响小的结论。该统一解可以适应于各种不同材料,能充分发挥材料潜力,具有普遍性和广泛的适应性,有一定的工程应用价值。结论对于研究各种材料的断裂问题有参考作用。     

A crack in a linear-elastic material under mode II loading, revisited

A sharp crack in a two-dimensional infinite linear-elastic material, under pure shear (mode II) loading is re-examined. Several criteria have been proposed for the prediction of the onset and direction of crack extension along a path emanating from the tip of the initial crack. These criteria date back some three decades and are well documented in the literature. All the predictions from the different criteria are close and indicate that the crack extension takes a direction at an angle of ≈ −70° measured counterclockwise from the positive x -axis, in the case of a remotely applied positive shear stress. However, the possibility seems to have been overlooked that the crack extension may initiate not from the crack tip itself, but instead may initiate on the free surface at an infinitesimal distance behind the crack tip. The effect of crack tip plasticity on the relevant stresses in the region of the crack tip is investigated by the application of an elastic–plastic finite element program.     

Evaluating MTS criterion in predicting mixed-mode crack extension under different loading conditions

The maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion is one of the most widely used criteria for predicting the direction of crack extension. The suitability of this criterion is examined under different loading conditions using the extended finite element method (XFEM). Experimental and numerical results reported in the literature are considered to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the criterion. The results demonstrate that the MTS criterion evaluated by stress intensity factors (SIFs) can accurately predict the direction of crack propagation in specimens under direct tensile loading. This criterion overestimates the angle of crack initiation in the specimen under indirect tensile loading but underestimates the angle in the specimen subjected to 3-point bending. It is concluded that the MTS criterion based on SIFs could not accurately predict the direction of the crack initiation, which could, however, be determined properly based on the stress distribution around the crack tip obtained by the XFEM numerical models.     

Evaluation of the elastic-plastic mixity parameters on the base of different crack propagation criteria. Part 1. Preliminary analysis

In order to evaluate the mechanical behavior around small-scale yielding crack tip for both plane strain and plane stress, the asymptotic governing equations and their boundary conditions by considering fracture mechanisms are formulated. A total deformation theory of plasticity with a power-law hardening is used. The analysis of the near-tip fields is carried out for both the maximum tensile and shear stress crack growth direction criteria, as well as for the complete range of mixity parameters and various strain-hardening levels. The new scheme of mixed-mode problem solution is proposed. Realationships between elastic and plastic mixity parameters are given as functions of the crack growth direction criterion and the strain-hardening exponent.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 60–75, January–February, 2005     

GM屈服准则求解Ⅰ型裂尖塑性区

用几何中线(GM)屈服准则求解了Ⅰ型裂尖塑性区的形状与尺寸,对比了基于Mises和Tresca准则的求解结果。表明在平面应变条件下,GM准则求解的塑性区面积在Tresca和Mises结果之间,Tresca塑性区面积最大,Mises面积最小,GM塑性区与Mises塑性区非常接近,三者的塑性区均成哑铃状。在平面应力下,GM和Mises塑性区二者仍最接近并为豆芽状,Tresca的塑性区最大。无论平面应力还是平面应变,GM准则计算结果与Mises结果均有最佳接近度。     

J-M based criteria for bifurcation assessment of a crack in elastic-plastic materials under mixed mode I-II loading

In this work, a set of J-M^p based criteria is proposed to assess the bifurcation angle of an elastic-plastic crack in plane strain under mixed mode loading. We first establish a criterion in order to study the competition between the tensile fracture (T-type fracture) and the shear fracture (S-type fracture) in the frame of RKR conception [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 21 (1973) 395]. Based on the generalized HRR [ASTM STP 560 (1974) 187] solution and on the knowledge of the mixity parameter M^p, the RKR based criterion is transformed into a J-M^p based criterion. When the crack grows in tensile manner, the maximum circumferential stress criterion is adopted to determine the crack bifurcation angle. When the crack grows in shear manner, the traditional theory of plasticity, according to which the plastic flow develops essentially along one of the slip bands immediately ahead of the crack tip, is used to determine the crack growth direction. All these proposed criteria are given as function of the mixity parameter M^p and the hardening exponent n of the material. Finally, we carry out some numerical computations by applying the proposed criteria and then compare the obtained results with experimental data gathered in literature. It is shown that these criteria are physically reasonable and highly accurate. Another advantage is that the parameters used are easy to identify numerically and experimentally, therefore, these criteria are simple to apply in engineering structures.     

The effect of T-stress on plane strain dynamic crack growth in elastic–plastic materials

In this paper, the effects of T‐stress on steady, dynamic crack growth in an elastic–plastic material are examined using a modified boundary layer formulation. The analyses are carried out under mode I, plane strain conditions by employing a special finite element procedure based on moving crack tip coordinates. The material is assumed to obey the J₂ flow theory of plasticity with isotropic power law hardening. The results show that the crack opening profile as well as the opening stress at a finite distance from the tip are strongly affected by the magnitude and sign of the T‐stress at any given crack speed. Further, it is found that the fracture toughness predicted by the analyses enhances significantly with negative T‐stress for both ductile and cleavage mode of crack growth.     

A study of the propagation of an embedded crack in a composite laminate of finite thickness

In this paper, the mechanism for the propagation of a crack embedded in the central layer of a composite laminate is studied based on energy criteria. As the crack may propagate in the transverse direction or in the tunneling direction, the critical stresses for these two propagations are presented. The theoretical analysis is applied to a fibre-reinforced composite laminate. Critical stresses for the initiation of crack propagation are calculated taking into account the influence of the adjacent ply angle and the crack size. It is found that for the considered typical fibre-reinforced composite laminate, the critical stress for the transverse propagation is less than that for the tunneling propagation. Therefore, transverse cracking is a more possible fracture mode in composite laminates with initial crack-like defects. This finding supports the calculation of the in situ transverse strength based upon the transverse crack propagation.     

Three‐dimensional mixed‐mode (I and II) crack‐front fields in ductile thin plates — effects of T‐stress

It has been well‐established that the non‐singular T‐stress provides a first‐order estimate of geometry and loading mode (e.g. tension versus bending) effects on elastic–plastic crack‐front field under mode I loading conditions. The objective of this paper is to exam the T‐stress effect on three‐dimensional (3D) crack‐front fields under mixed‐mode (modes I and II) loading. To this end, detailed 3D small strain, elastic–plastic simulations are carried out using a 3D boundary layer (small‐scale yielding) formulation. Characteristics of near crack‐front fields are investigated for a wide range of T‐stresses (T/σ₀ = ?0.8, ?0.4, 0.0, 0.4, 0.8). The plastic zones and thickness and angular and radial variations of the stresses are studied, corresponding to two values of the remote elastic mixity parameters M_e = 0.3 and 0.7, under both low and high levels of applied loads. It is found that different T‐stresses have a significant effect on the plastic zones size and shapes, regardless of the mode mixity and load level. The thickness, angular and radial distributions of stresses are also affected markedly by T‐stress. It is important to include these effects when investigating the mixed‐mode ductile fracture failure process in thin‐walled structural components.     

Numerical modeling of 2-D smooth crack growth

Numerical algorithm to simulate 2-D smooth crack is presented. The stepwise method based on local criteria of propagation is used. Two crack propagation criteria are employed. At the first stage of propagation, the maximum tensile stress criterion is used to take into account the abrupt change in tangent direction. At subsequent stages, the assumption that the stress intensity factor (SIF) K_{_2=} 0 at the current crack tip is exploited. The analytical formulae for calculating SIFs are given. The displacement discontinuities (DD) involved in these formulae are found from the numerical solution of a complex hypersingular integral equation (CHSIE) for a piecewise homogeneous plane with curvilinear cracks. The new mechanism of smooth approximation of the crack path by circular arcs at each propagation stage is suggested. Numerical results are given. They confirm the efficiency of the algorithm suggested. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Plastic zone correction on a Zener–Stroh crack interacting with a circular inclusion in ductile materials

Elastic–plastic stress analysis on a matrix Zener–Stroh crack interacting with a circular inclusion (fibre) in fibre‐reinforced composites has been carried out. The Zener–Stroh crack is initiated near the fibre in the pure matrix. Plastic zone correction is introduced the first time for such a crack–inclusion interaction problem so that the fracture behaviour can be analysed more accurately. To determine the plastic zone sizes, a generalized Irwin model is proposed for the mixed‐mode problem where the Von Mises stress yielding criterion is employed. Different to a Griffith crack, a Zener–Stroh crack propagation always occurs from the sharp tip whose relative position to the inclusion has great effect on the elastic–plastic fracture behaviour of the crack. In our study, the plastic zone size (PZS), crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) and effective stress intensity factor (SIF) are evaluated by solving the formulated singular integral equations. Through the numerical examples, the influence of the inclusion (fibre) shear modulus, crack–inclusion distance and the crack sharp tip position on the fracture behaviour of the crack is discussed. It is found that the shear modulus ratio and the crack–inclusion distance have great effect on the normalized values of PZS and CTOD, but the effects highly depend on the crack sharp tip position.     

Modelling dynamic crack propagation using the scaled boundary finite element method

This study presents a novel application of the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) to model dynamic crack propagation problems. Accurate dynamic stress intensity factors are extracted directly from the semi‐analytical solutions of SBFEM. They are then used in the dynamic fracture criteria to determine the crack‐tip position, velocity and propagation direction. A simple, yet flexible remeshing algorithm is used to accommodate crack propagation. Three dynamic crack propagation problems that include mode‐I and mix‐mode fracture are modelled. The results show good agreement with experimental and numerical results available in the literature. It is found that the developed method offers some advantages over conventional FEM in terms of accuracy, efficiency and ease of implementation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mode I fatigue crack growth under biaxial loading

This paper is centred on the role of the T-stress during mode I fatigue crack growth. The effect of a T-stress is studied through its effect on plastic blunting at crack tip. As a matter of fact, fatigue crack growth is characterized by the presence of striations on the fracture surface, which implies that the crack grows by a mechanism of plastic blunting and re-sharpening (Laird C. The influence of metallurgical structure on the mechanisms of fatigue crack propagation. In: Fatigue crack propagation, STP 415. Philadelphia: ASTM; 1967. p. 131–68 [8]). In the present study, plastic blunting at crack tip is a global variable ρ, which is calculated using the finite element method. ρ is defined as the average value of the permanent displacement of the crack faces over the whole K-dominance area. The presence of a T-stress modifies significantly the evolution of plastic deformation within the crack tip plastic zone as a consequence of plastic blunting at crack tip. A yield stress intensity factor K_Y is defined for the cracked structure, as the stress intensity factor for which plastic blunting at crack tip exceeds a given value. The variation of the yield stress intensity factor was studied as a function of the T-stress. It is found that the T-stress modifies significantly the yield point of the cracked structure and that the yield surface in a (T, K_I) plane is independent of the crack length. Finally, a yield criterion is proposed for the cracked structure. This criterion is an extent of the Von-Mises yield criterion to the problem of the cracked structure. The proposed criterion matches almost perfectly the results obtained from the FEM. The evolution of the yield surface of the cracked structure in a (T, K_I) plane was also studied for a few loading schemes. These results should develop a plasticity model for the cracked structure taking into account the effect of the T-stress.     

复合型裂纹起裂角厚度效应的实验研究

完成了飞机结构铝合金LC4CS的2、4、8和14mm四种不同厚度试样在I+II复合加载条件下的复合型断裂实验,系统分析了厚度和复合载荷对裂纹起裂角的影响,揭示了常用复合型断裂准则的厚度适用范围,用三维断裂理论对结果进行了讨论。结果表明:复合型裂纹起裂角具有明显的厚度效应;最大周向应力准则能够准确预测薄试样和厚试样(厚度为2 mm 和14 mm)在各种复合加载条件下的起裂方向,但是不适用于中间厚度的试样,尤其是8 mm厚度的情况。最大三轴应力准则试图考虑裂纹尖端三维约束对裂纹起裂的影响,但是结果并不理想。最小应变能密度因子理论的预测结果与最大周向应力准则的预测结果非常接近,但同样不能预测8mm厚度试样的起裂方向。非常有必要建立一个普遍适用的三维复合型断裂准则。     

Crack kinking under high pressure in an elastic-plastic material

Directional crack growth criteria in compressed elastic–plastic materials are considered. The conditions at the crack tip are evaluated for a straight stationary crack. Remote load is a combined hydrostatic stress and pure shear, applied via a boundary layer assuming small scale yielding. Strains and deformations are assumed to be small. Different candidates for crack path criteria are examined. Maximum non-negative hoop stress to judge the risk of mode I and maximum shear stress for mode II extension of the crack are examined in some detail. Crack surfaces in contact are assumed to develop Coulumb friction from the very beginning. Hence, a condition of slip occurs throughout the crack faces. The plane in which the crack extends is calculated using a finite element method. Slip-line solutions are derived for comparison with the numerically computed asymptotic field. An excellent agreement between numerical and analytical solutions is found. The agreement is good in the region from the crack tip to around halfway to the elastic–plastic boundary. The relation between friction stress and yield stress is varied. The crack is found to extend in a direction straight ahead in shear mode for sufficiently high compressive pressure. At a limit pressure a kink is formed at a finite angle to the crack plane. For lower pressures the crack extends via a kink forming an angle to the parent crack plane that increases with decreasing pressure.     

The effect of T‐stress on crack‐tip plastic zones under mixed‐mode loading conditions

In this paper, the influence of T‐stress on crack‐tip plastic zones under mixed‐mode I and II loading conditions is examined. The crack‐tip stress field is defined in terms of the mixed‐mode stress intensity factors and the T‐stress using William's series expansion. The crack‐tip stress field is incorporated into the Von Mises yield criteria to develop an expression that determines the crack‐tip plastic zone. Using the resultant expression, the plastic zone is plotted for various combinations of mode II to mode I stress intensity factor ratios and levels of T‐stress. The properties of the plastic zone affected by T‐stress and mixed‐mode phase angle are discussed. The observations obtained on plastic zones variations are important for further fatigue and fracture analyses for defects in engineering structures under mixed‐mode loading conditions.     

Numerical techniques for the analysis of crack propagation in cohesive materials

The aim of the paper is the development, assessment and use of suitable numerical procedures for the analysis of the crack evolution in cohesive materials. In particular, homogeneous as well as heterogeneous materials, obtained by embedding short stiff fibres in a cohesive matrix, are considered. Two‐dimensional Mode I fracture problems are investigated. The cohesive constitutive law is adopted to model the process zone occurring at the crack tip. An elasto‐plastic constitutive relationship, able to take into account the processes of fibre debonding and pull‐out, is introduced to model the mechanical response of the short fibres. Two numerical procedures, based on the stress and on the energy approach, are developed to investigate the crack propagation in cohesive as well as fibre‐reinforced materials, characterized by a periodic crack distribution. The results obtained using the stress and energy approaches are compared in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures. Investigations on the size effect for microcracked periodic cohesive materials, and on the beneficial effects of the fibres in improving the composite material response, are developed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.