Fracture toughness

Abstract: : An integral is exhibited which has the same value for all paths surrounding a class of notches in two-dimensional deformation fields of linear or non-linear elastic materials. The integral may be evaluated almost by inspection for a few notch configurations. Also, for materials of the elastic- plastic type (treated through a deformation rather than incremental formulation) , with a linear response to small stresses followed by non-linear yielding, the integral may be evaluated in terms of Irwin's stress intensity factor when yielding occurs on a scale small in comparison to notch size. On the other hand, the integral may be expressed in terms of the concentrated deformation field in the vicinity of the notch tip. This implies that some information on strain concentrations is obtainable without recourse to detailed non-linear analyses. Such an approach is exploited here. Applications are made to: Approximate estimates of strain concentrations at smooth ended notch tips in elastic and elastic-plastic materials, A general solution for crack tip separation in the Barenblatt-Dugdale crack model, leading to a proof of the identity of the Griffith theory and Barenblatt cohesive theory for elastic brittle fracture and to the inclusion of strain hardening behavior in the Dugdale model for plane stress yielding, and An approximate perfectly plastic plane strain analysis, based on the slip line theory, of contained plastic deformation at a crack tip and of crack blunting.

Abstract: A method is presented in which fracture mechanics is introduced into finite element analysis by means of a model where stresses are assumed to act across a crack as long as it is narrowly opened. This assumption may be regarded as a way of expressing the energy adsorption GC in the energy balance approach, but it is also in agreement with results of tension tests. As a demonstration the method has been applied to the bending of an unreinforced beam, which has led to an explanation of the difference between bending strength and tensile strength, and of the variation in bending strength with beam depth.

Abstract: The application of indentation techniques to the evaluation of fracture toughness is examined critically, in two parts. In this first part, attention is focused on an approach which involves direct measurement of Vickers-produced radial cracks as a function of indentation load. A theoretical basis for the method is first established, in terms of elastic/plastic indentation fracture mechanics. It is thereby asserted that the key to the radial crack response lies in the residual component of the contact field. This residual term has important implications concerning the crack evolution, including the possibility of post indentation slow growth under environment-sensitive conditions. Fractographic observations of cracks in selected “reference” materials are used to determine the magnitude of this effect and to investigate other potential complications associated with departures from ideal indentation fracture behavior. The data from these observations provide a convenient calibration of the Indentation toughness equations for general application to other well-behaved ceramics. The technique is uniquely simple in procedure and economic in its use of material.

Abstract: The application of indentation techniques to the evaluation of fracture toughness is examined critically, in two parts. In this first part, attention is focused on an approach which involves direct measurement of Vickers-produced radial cracks as a function of indentation load. A theoretical basis for the method is first established, in terms of elastic/plastic indentation fracture mechanics. It is thereby asserted that the key to the radial crack response lies in the residual component of the contact field. This residual term has important implications concerning the crack evolution, including the possibility of post indentation slow growth under environment-sensitive conditions. Fractographic observations of cracks in selected “reference” materials are used to determine the magnitude of this effect and to investigate other potential complications associated with departures from ideal indentation fracture behavior. The data from these observations provide a convenient calibration of the Indentation toughness equations for general application to other well-behaved ceramics. The technique is uniquely simple in procedure and economic in its use of material.

Abstract: DEFORMATION OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS. Tensile Response of Materials. Elements of Dislocation Theory. Slip and Twinning in Crystalline Solids. Strengthening Mechanisms in Metals. High-Temperature Deformation Response of Crystalline Solids. Deformation Response of Engineering Plastics. FRACTURE MECHANICS OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS. Fracture: An Overview. Elements of Fracture Mechanics. Transition Temperature Approach to Fracture Control. Microstructural Aspects of Fracture Toughness. Environment-Assisted Cracking. Cyclic Stress and Strain Fatigue. Fatigue Crack Propagation. Analyses of Engineering Failures. Appendices. Indexes.