by Hosseini-Toudeshky, H.; Saber, M.; Mohammadi, B.

Three dimensional finite element analyses of the single-side repaired panels using glass/epoxy composite are performed considering the general mixed mode conditions and real crack-front shape modeling (RCFM) during the crack propagation procedure. Variations of the fracture parameters through the thickness of the panels for the initial crack configuration and crack growth behavior of the repaired panels with various patch lay-ups are investigated. The effect of considering K
_III on the small and large crack growth of repaired panels are also studied. The obtained lives are compared with the previously obtained lives using simplified FEM procedure and experimental results by the authors.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-008-9303-6
Online Date: 1/23/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Das, S.

The paper presents the elastodynamic response of an infinite orthotropic strip of finite width containing a central crack opened by suddenly applied stresses. Integral transforms are employed to reduce the transient problem to the solution of a pair of dual integral equations in the Laplace transform plane solved by iterations in the low frequency case. Analytic expressions for the dynamic stress intensity factors are obtained. Numerical results for two particular materials are given. The influence of different orthotropic constants on the magnitude of the overshoots in the stress intensity factors K
₁(t) and K
₂(t) are found.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-009-9309-8
Online Date: 1/20/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Chen, Zhaofeng; Wu, Wangping; Wang, Liangbing; Zhang, Ying

Iridium coating was prepared by the double glow plasma. The phase identification and the microstructure observation of the fracture surface of the coating were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The deposition rate of the coating was up to 20µm/h. The iridium coating failed predominantly by grain boundary brittle fracture at room temperatures. Brittle intergranular fracture does not depend on grain size. Intergranular fracture in iridium coating has been considered to arise from low cohesive strength of the grain boundaries.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-009-9310-2
Online Date: 1/20/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Guerrero, Felicia; Sevostianov, Igor; Giraud, Albert

The present paper addresses an approximate analytical model for contribution of an arbitrarily oriented circular crack into effective elastic compliance of a transversely isotropic material. We numerically examine the bounds of applicability of the hypothesis that change in elastic potential due to an arbitrarily oriented circular crack in a transversely-isotropic material can be approximated by the change calculated for a certain isotropic environment. In particular, we obtained that the error of such an approximation is less than 20% if the extent of anisotropy is moderate – the ratio of Young’s moduli in transverse and in-plane directions is less than 1.87. The obtained result can be used for development of a simple model for microcracked transversely-isotropic materials with mild-to-moderate extent of anisotropy.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-009-9311-1
Online Date: 1/20/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Lazarus, V.; Buchholz, F.-G.; Fulland, M.; Wiebesiek, J.

Whatever the external loading, a crack front in a solid tries to reach mode I loading conditions after propagation. In mode I + II, the crack kinks to annihilate mode II, kinking angle being well predicted by the principle of local symmetry (PLS) or by the maximum tangential stress criterion (MTS). In presence of mode III, the problem becomes three-dimensional and the proposed propagation criterion are not yet well proved and established. In particular in three point bending experiments (3PB) with an initially inclined crack, the crack twists around the direction of propagation to finally reach a situation of pure mode I. The aim of the paper is to compare the propagation paths predicted by two different criteria for 3PB fatigue experiments performed on PMMA. The first criterion developed by Schollmann et al. (Int J Fract 117(2):129–141, 2002), is a three-dimensional extension of the MTS criterion and predicts the local angles that annihilates mode II and III at each point of the front. The second one developed by Lazarus et al. (J Mech Phys Solids 49(7):1421–1443, 2001b), predicts an abrupt and then progressive twisting of the front to annihilate mode III. Due to presence of sign changing mode II and almost uniform mode III in the experiments, both criteria give good results. However, since mode III is predominant over mode II in the case under consideration, the global criterion gives better results. Nevertheless, the local type criterion seems to be of greater universality for practical engineering applications.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-008-9307-2
Online Date: 1/20/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Caimmi, Francesco; Pavan, Andrea

The problem of a centrally cracked, linear elastic orthotropic strip loaded in bending by three point forces is analyzed and discussed. Coulomb friction is assumed between the crack faces to study the influence of the friction coefficient on the strain energy release rate. Under certain simplifying assumptions the problem is reduced to the solution of a singular integral equation which is evaluated numerically. The results are compared with the solution of the same problem obtained using the beam theory; limits of the application of beam theory for the reduction of experimental data are discussed.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-008-9300-9
Online Date: 1/19/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Nielsen, Kim Lau

Ductile plug failure of resistance spot welded shear-lab specimens is studied by full 3D finite element analysis, using an elastic-viscoplastic constitutive relation that accounts for nucleation and growth of microvoids to coalescence (The Gurson model). Tensile properties and damage parameters are based on uni-axial tensile testing of the basis material, while the modelled tensile response of the shear-lab specimens is compared to experimental results for the case of a ductile failure near the heat affected zone (HAZ). A parametric study for a range of weld diameters is carried out, which makes it possible to numerically relate the weld diameter to the tensile shear force (TSF) and the associated displacement, u

_TSF
, respectively. Main focus in the paper is on modelling the localization of plastic flow and the corresponding damage development in the vicinity of the spot weld, near the HAZ. For decreasing weld diameter, localization of plastic flow may be observed to occur in the weld nugget, introducing significant shearing. Due to these competing mechanisms a critical transition radius of the weld may be found. However, due to the limitation of the Gurson model in describing ductile failure at very low stress triaxiality, further analysis of the shear failure is omitted.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-008-9305-4
Online Date: 1/16/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Xuan, Fu-Zhen; Si, Jun; Tu, Shan-Tung

Based on the comprehensive finite element (FE) creep analyses, the influence of free surface on the time dependent fracture mechanics parameter of a crack near the free surface in plates under tension has been investigated. It is found that the time dependent fracture parameter C* increases as the crack tip closes to the free surface. Such an increment is related not only to the crack configurations but also to the material properties, especially the creep exponent n of power creep law. In addition, more pronounced interaction is observed between the C* of subsurface crack and that of a single isolated crack compared to that denoted by SIF under the linear elastic fracture condition. Under the framework of reference stress method, we also developed a closed form solution for creep interaction factor. Overall good agreement is achieved between the proposed method for the C* of subsurface crack and the FE results which provides us confidence in practical application.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-008-9304-5
Online Date: 1/10/2009
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Rao, B. N.; Kuna, M.

This paper presents the domain form of interaction integrals based on three independent formulations for computation of stress intensity factors, electric displacement intensity factors and magnetic induction intensity factors for cracks in functionally graded magnetoelectroelastic materials. Conservation integrals of J-type are derived based on the governing equations for magnetoelectroelastic media and the crack tip asymptotic fields of homogeneous magnetoelectroelastic medium as auxiliary fields. Each of the formulations differs in the way auxiliary fields are imposed in the evaluation of interaction integrals and each of them results in a consistent form of the interaction integral in the sense that extra terms naturally appear in their derivation to compensate for the difference in the chosen crack tip asymptotic fields of homogeneous and functionally graded magnetoelectroelastic medium. The additional terms play an important role of ensuring domain independence of the presented interaction integrals. Comparison of numerically evaluated intensity factors through the three consistent formulations with those obtained using displacement extrapolation method is presented by means of two examples.

DOI: 10.1007/s10704-008-9285-4
Online Date: 1/6/2009
Print publication date: 9/1/2008
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