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Crack-propagation behaviors

Paper discusses fracture behaviors commonly found in hard plastics, in glossy materials and in metals when plasticity is restricted by plane-strain elastic constraint

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Abstract

Fracture behaviors commonly found in hard plastics, glasses and metals with restricted plasticity are discussed relative to their force requirements. These are onset and arrest of rapid crack extension, the stable balance of crack speed against driving force of the running crack, the limiting crack speed and crack division. A method is given for calculating the stress-field driving forceG for closely and evenly spaced radial cracks. The Kerkhof ultrasonic-ripple-marking technique for determination of crack speed is discussed. These procedures are illustrated with experimental tests of crack division and crack arrest.

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Abbreviations

G :

crack-extension force, lb/in

K :

stress-intensity factor

σ y :

extensional stress normal to plane of crack

r, θ:

polar coordinates

E :

Young's modulus

ν:

Poisson's ratio

L :

distance between parallel grips clamping brittle material

s :

spacing between two cracks

δU :

fixed-grip loss of strain energy when crack advances fromx=0 tox=α

2a :

length of central crack

τ xy :

shear stress

K t :

stress-concentration factor (Peterson)

r :

root radius

v L :

limiting crack speed

D :

gross plate width

d :

net plate width

σ N :

stress on plate, psi

c 2 :

elastic shear-wave velocity

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D. C.

    A. B. J. Clark (Physicist) & G. R. Irwin (Physicist)

Authors
  1. A. B. J. Clark
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  2. G. R. Irwin
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Clark, A.B.J., Irwin, G.R. Crack-propagation behaviors. Experimental Mechanics 6, 321–330 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02327512

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02327512

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