Effects of plastic anisotropy on crack-tip behaviour

For a crack in a homogeneous material the effect of plastic anisotropy on crack-tip blunting and on the near-tip stress and strain fields is analyzed numerically. The full finite strain analyses are carried out for plane strain under small scale yielding conditions, with purely symmetric mode I loading remote from the crack-tip. In cases where the principal axes of the anisotropy are inclined to the plane of the crack it is found that the plastic zones as well as the stress and strain fields just around the blunted tip of the crack become non-symmetric. In these cases the peak strain on the blunted tip occurs off the center line of the crack, thus indicating that the crack may want to grow in a different direction. When the anisotropic axes are parallel to the crack symmetry is retained, but the plastic zones and the near-tip fields still differ from those predicted by standard isotropic plasticity.     

On stress field near a stationary crack tip

It is well known that the stress and elastic-plastic deformation fields near a crack tip have important roles in the corresponding fracture process. For elastic-perfectly-plastic solids, different solutions are given in the literature. In this work we examine and compare several of these solutions for Mode I (tension), Mode II (shear), and mixed Modes I and II loading conditions in plane strain. By consideration of the dynamic solution, it is shown that the assumption that the material is yielding all around a crack tip may not be reasonable in all cases. By admitting the existence of some elastic sectors, we obtain continuous stress fields even for mixed Modes I and II.     

Asymptotic deformation and stress fields at the tip of a sharp notch in an elastic-plastic material

The singular elastic-plastic stress, strain and the displacement fields at the tip of a sharp notch for both plane stress and plane strain conditions are investigated analytically. The material is assumed to be governed by the deformation theory of plasticity with linear strain hardening characteristic. Since the elastic strain is retained in the analysis, the final strain and displacement fields can be separated into the elastic and the plastic parts. In the case with zero notch angle, the results reduce to the classical crack problem. The relationship of the amplitude of the near crack tip elastic-plastic field to the elastic far field is obtained. Both mode I and mode II cases are investigated. The mixed mode case is also discussed.     

Complete theoretical analysis for higher order asymptotic terms and the HRR zone at a crack tip for Mode I and Mode II loading of a hardening material

Summary A complete development for the first two terms of the crack tip fields for both Mode I and Mode II loading of a hardening material in either plane stress or plane strain is performed, including the elastic deformation in the analysis. It is shown that the determination of the order of the second term depends on bothn and whether plane stress or plane strain is considered. In addition, regions of HRR dominance at a crack tip for the field variables are estimated. Comparison of the analytic predictions with finite element results indicates that the analytic results for the zone of HRR dominance are in agreement with numerical predictions.     

Experimental and numerical investigations on the influence of the loading direction on the fatigue crack growth

During a service loading fatigue cracks can be subjected to a mixed mode loading if, due to the alteration of the loading direction, the basic crack modes (Modes I, II and III) are combined. An alteration of the loading direction, e.g. can occur either occasionally paired with an overload (mixed mode overload) or permanently in terms of a mixed mode block loading as a combination of normal and shear stresses.Within the scope of this paper, experimental investigations on both mixed mode overloads, which are interspersed into a Mode I baseline level loading, and mixed mode block loadings are presented. The experimental investigations show that the retardation effect decreases with an increasing amount of Mode II of the overload. Due to the block loading, the fatigue crack growth rate is retarded as well, and the crack is also deflected. The kinking angle depends on the fraction of shear stresses. Furthermore, a detailed elastic–plastic finite element analysis of the fatigue crack growth after mixed mode overloads is presented in order to understand the mechanism of the load interaction effects. By such numerical simulations, it can be shown that, due to mixed mode overloads, plastic deformations occur, which on the one hand reduce the near-tip closure and on the other hand cause a far-field closure. Also the stress distribution before and after the crack tip changes. A mixed mode overload causes lower closure and the crack tip deformations become asymmetrical, which is a reason for the smaller retardation effect of a mixed mode overload.     

On the contact zone of a subinterfacial Zener-Stroh crack

Summary A Zener-Stroh crack is initiated by dislocations pile-up. Due to this displacement loading mechanism, only one of the two crack tips is sharp, and crack propagation is possible along the sharp tip only. When such a crack is initiated near an interface, the crack faces behind the sharp crack tip may contact each other due to material mismatch and loading combination. In the present study, a subinterface Zener-Stroh crack is analyzed with contact zone consideration near the tip. The problem is formulated as a set of nonlinear Cauchy-type singular integral equations which are solved numerically using Erdogan and Gupta's method. The physically pathological features of interpenetration of the crack surfaces and oscillation of the near tip fields are eliminated in the solutions due to the presence of a contact zone near the crack tip. It is found that the normal traction is bounded at the crack tip where a contact zone exists; while the shear traction has square-root singularities at both the crack tips. This result, is totally different to the case of an interface crack where Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors, are inter-related at the sharp crack tip.     

A DUCTILE FRACTURE MODEL IN MIXED MODES 1 AND 2

Abstract— Fracture due to crack growth under mixed Modes 1 and 2 loading is considered. The cracking mechanism addressed is that of microvoid growth and linkage under small-scale-yielding conditions. Stress analyses are described which take into account the blunting of the crack tip as the load increases. A damage function is defined, and is evaluated in the intensely-straining region near the blunted notch tip. As the load increases, the size of this damaged region increases until a critical level of damage has been reached over a material-dependent length scale and fracture ensues. The local fracture criterion is then related to the applied loads. The predictions of the model are tested against experiments under Mode 1 loading and also against some mixed Modes 1 and 2 data on a range of materials. The results of the model are conservative and reproduce the experimentally observed Mode 1 failures, in terms of AT, at fracture, to within 25%. In the case of mixed mode loading the model conservatively predicts the fracture load for most of the data.     

Constraint effects on ductile fracture processes near a notch tip under mixed-mode loading

In this work, the effect of constraint on ductile fracture process of microvoid growth and coalescence near a notch tip in a ductile material under mode I and mixed mode loading (involving modes I and II) is investigated. To this end, two sets of finite element simulations are carried out under two-dimensional plane strain conditions. In the first set, a modified boundary layer formulation is employed in which the mixed mode elastic K–T field is prescribed as remote boundary conditions. Several analyses are carried out corresponding to different values of T-stress and remote elastic mode-mixity. Next, ductile four point bend specimens subjected to mode I and mixed mode loading are considered. In both sets of simulations, the interaction between a notch tip and a pre-nucleated hole ahead of it is modelled. The background material is represented by the Gurson constitutive model and micro-void nucleation at uniformly distributed small scale particles is also taken into account. The accumulation of matrix plastic strain and porosity in the ligament between the notch tip and the hole as well as the growth of the hole are studied. Finally, the effect of crack tip constraint on the relationship between the fracture toughness and mode mixity is examined.     

Mixed-mode crack growth in ductile thin-sheet materials under combined in-plane and out-of-plane loading

Ductile thin-sheet structures, such as fuselage skin or automobile panels, are widely used in engineering applications. These structures often-times are subjected to mixed mode (I/II/III) loading, with stable crack growth observed prior to final fracture. To characterize specific specimen deformations during stable tearing, a series of mixed-mode I/III stable tearing experiments with highly ductile thin-sheet aluminum alloy and steel specimens have been measured by using three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). Measurements include (a) specimen’s deformed shape and 3D full-field surface displacement fields, (b) load-crack extension response and (c) crack path during stable tearing, (d) angular and radial distributions of strains and (e) the mixed mode crack-opening displacement (COD, measured at 1-mm from crack tip along crack surface) variation as a function of crack extension. Results indicate that for both aluminum alloy and steel at all mixed-mode I/III loading conditions (Φ = 30°, 60° and 90°), the crack tip fields have almost identical angular and radial polar strain distributions. The mixed mode I/III fields were different from those observed for the nominal Mode I loading case (Φ = 0°). The effect of the Mode III loading component is that it lowers the magnitude of the dominant strain component ε _θθ ahead of the growing crack tip and increases the singularity of the strain as compared with that in the mode I case. In addition, measurements indicate that the average mixed mode I/III stable COD for AL6061-T6 (GM6208 steel) is 4×(3×) greater than the average Mode I stable COD.     

Fracture initiation at a crack or notch in a viscoplastic material under high rate loading

The two-dimensional problem of an edge crack in a half space or plate is considered. The body is loaded by a suddenly applied, spatially uniform normal velocity imposed on the plane boundary of the body on one side of the edge crack. Otherwise, the boundary of the body, including the crack faces, is traction free. Both cases of an initially sharp crack tip and a narrow notch with small but nonzero notch root radius are considered. The material is modeled as elastic viscoplastic, including strain hardening, rate sensitivity and thermal softening. The applied loading produces predominantly mode II loading in the crack tip region. Under these conditions it is possible to nucleate an adiabatic shear band at the crack tip as a precursor to a mode II fracture. On the other hand, because of the rate sensitivity of the material and the high rate of loading, it may be possible under certain conditions to generate tensile stresses in the crack tip region sufficiently large to nucleate brittle tensile fracture. The problem is solved numerically by means of the finite element method in order to investigate the competition between these two possible fracture initiation mechanisms. The magnitude of the impact velocity imposed on the edge of the plate and the notch tip acuity have an effect on processes near the crack tip. For given material, the inception of crack growth is determined by the competition between a stress-based brittle fracture condition, associated with rate sensitivity and strain hardening, and a strain based criterion, associated with high strain rate and thermal softening.     

Strain and stress fields near the blunted tip of a crack under mixed mode loading and the implications for fracture

The strain distribution in the vacinity of a blunted crack-tip is analysed by slip line theory under the conditions of plane-strain, small-scale yielding, and mixed-mode loading of Modes I and II. A generalized crack-tip opening displacement is introduced by which the strain and stress fields near the blunted crack-tip are determined uniquely over a wide range of Mode I and II combinations. Also, coupled experimental and finite-element analyses under the condition of large-scale yielding reveal that the initiation of stable crack growth occurs when the generalized crack-tip opening displacement attains a critical value which is constant for the material tested. The finite-element analysis is based on the finite deformation theory of elastic-plastic materials. The generalized crack-tip opening displacement criterion is found to be superior to the J-integral and the usual COD for the characterization of the initiation of stable crack growth. The plastic work in a small circular region at the crack-tip is found to be equivalent to the generalized crack-tip opening displacement, as a fracture criterion.     

Fracture analysis of dissimilar Al‐Al friction stir welded joints under tensile/shear loading

In this research, fracture of dissimilar friction stir welded (FSWed) joint made of Al 7075‐T6 and Al 6061‐T6 aluminum alloys is investigated in the cracked semi‐circular bend (CSCB) specimen under mixed mode I/II loading. Due to the elastic‐plastic behavior of the welded material and the existence of significant plastic deformations around the crack tip at the propagation instance, fracture prediction of the FSWed specimens needs some failure criteria in the context of the elastic‐plastic fracture mechanics which are very complicated and time‐consuming. For this purpose, the Equivalent Material Concept (EMC) is used herein by which the tensile behavior of the welded material is equated with that of a virtual brittle material. By combining EMC with the 2 brittle fracture criteria, namely the maximum tangential stress (MTS) and mean stress (MS) criteria, the load‐carrying capacity (LCC) of the FSWed CSCB specimens is predicted. Comparison of the experimental results and theoretical predictions from the 2 criteria showed that both criteria could accurately predict the LCC of the cracked specimens. Moreover, as the contribution of mode II loading increases, the size of the plastic region around the crack tip at failure increases, leading to increasing the LCC.     

Mixed mode fatigue crack growth: A literature survey

The applications of fracture mechanics have traditionally concentrated on crack growth problems under an opening or mode I mechanism. However, many service failures occur from growth of cracks subjected to mixed mode loadings. This paper reviews the various criteria and parameters proposed in the literature for predictions of mixed mode crack growth directions and rates. The physical basis and limitations for each criterion are briefly reviewed, and the corresponding experimental supports are discussed. Results from experimental studies using different specimen geometries and loading conditions are presented and discussed. The loading conditions discussed consist of crack growth under mode II, mode III, mixed mode I and II, and mixed mode I and III loads. The effects of important variables such as load magnitudes, material strength, initial crack tip condition, mean stress, load non-proportionality, overloads and crack closure on mixed mode crack growth directions and/or rates are also discussed.     

ANALYSIS OF CRACK TIP HYDROGEN DISTRIBUTION UNDER I/II MIXED MODE LOADS

Abstract— The distribution of hydrogen in the vicinity of a crack tip was studied using SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) under different ratios of I/II mixed mode loads. Modified WOL specimens with kinked slits were employed in the course of the experimental work. Spectrographic measurements show that under I/II mixed mode loading, both in the HIC and in the r ^max_p directions, there are two hydrogen accumulation peaks ahead of the crack tip, corresponding to the location of the maximum hydrostatic stress and maximum equivalent plastic strain, respectively. Based on results obtained over a range of loading conditions from mode I to a high K_II/ K_I, ratio, it is shown that the mode II component has a clear influence on both peaks. The conditions for hydrogen redistribution are discussed in terms of crack tip stress-strain fields.     

Experimental study of I + III mixed mode fatigue crack transformation propagation

In this paper, compact tension specimens with tilted cracks under monotonic fatigue loading were tested to investigate I + III mixed mode fatigue crack propagation in the material of No. 45 steel with the emphasis on the mode transformation process. It is found that with the crack growth, I + III mixed mode changes to Mode I. Crack mode transformation is governed by the Mode III component and the transformation rate is a function of the relative magnitude of the Mode III stress intensity factor. However, even in the process of the crack mode transformation the fatigue crack propagation is controlled by the Mode I deformation.     

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.     

A 3D full‐field study of cracks in a nuclear graphite under mode I and mode II cyclic dwell loading conditions

Three‐dimensional (3D) full‐field deformation around crack tips in a nuclear graphite has been studied under mode I and mode II cyclic dwell loading conditions using digital volume correlation (DVC) and integrated finite element (FE) analysis. A cracked Brazilian disk specimen of Gilsocarbon graphite was tested at selected loading angles to achieve mode I and mode II cyclic dwell loading conditions. Integrated FE analysis was carried out with the 3D displacement fields measured by DVC injected into the FE model, from which the crack driving force J‐integral was obtained using a damaged plasticity material model. The evolution of near‐tip strains and the J‐integral during the cyclic dwell loading was examined. Under cyclic dwell, residual strain accumulation was observed for the first time. The results shed some light on the effect of dwell time on the 3D crack deformation and crack driving force in Gilsocarbon under cyclic mode I and II loading conditions.     

T应力对Ⅰ-Ⅱ复合型裂纹扩展的影响

利用最大周向正应力判据MTS重新分析研究了脆性破坏的Ⅰ-Ⅱ复合型裂纹扩展,其中考虑了平行于裂纹方向的非奇异项T应力。以平板中的斜裂纹处于双向受力为研究对象,通过两个方向力的不同组合以及裂纹与受力方向的夹角变换得到包括纯I型和纯II型在内的Ⅰ-Ⅱ复合型裂纹,分析了T应力对裂纹扩展方向以及断裂时的应力强度因子的影响,并将预测结果与现有的实验数据进行了比较。在此基础上,给出了不同T应力条件下通用的Ⅰ-Ⅱ复合型裂纹扩展条件,可用于给定几何试件的脆性断裂判定。分析结果表明:裂纹尖端非奇异项T应力对裂纹扩展的影响是不可忽略的,尤其是对II型断裂的影响更为明显。     

A Photoelastic Study of T‐stress in Centrally Cracked Brazilian Disc Specimen Under Mode II Loading

Abstract: In the traditional formulation of the stress field near a crack tip, the presence of the T‐stress is generally considered only under mode I or mixed mode I and II conditions. In this paper its presence in almost pure Mode II is experimentally investigated by mean of photoelasticity and its effects on the isochromatic fringe patterns are discussed. The test specimens are Brazilian discs containing sharp central cracks. After crack generation, all residual stresses are removed with thermal treatment of the specimens. Then, a compressive load is applied in a specific angle to induce mode II deformation. The observed isochromatic fringes show very good consistency with theoretical predictions. Experimental results indicate that this specimen has a negative T‐stress in mode II condition. The results calculated for K_II and T from photoelastic experiments agree well with numerical results available from finite element method.     

On the intersonic crack propagation in an orthotropic medium

Motivaded by recent theoretical studies the elastodynamic response of an orthotropic material with a semi-infinite line crack, which propagates intersonically. is revisited through an approach which differs from those used in previous studies. The near tip stress and displacement fields are obtained for Mode I and Mode II of steady state crack propagation. The strain energy release rate analysis confirms that the Mode I is physically impossible due to the order of stress singularity, which is larger then one half. For Model II the order of stress is less than one half and it is shown that a steady state intersonic propagation is allowed only for a particular crack tip velocity which is a function of the material orthotropy.