Summary of Fracture Mechanics

Sharon Kao-Walter
Name: Rahul Reddy Katangoori P.N: 19870916-6451 In this course first we have studied basic concepts of fracture mechanics like plain stress, plain strain, elastic deformation, plastic yielding fracture and fatigue. In chapter two is about Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) and problems have been carried out on this criteria.

In stress analysis it is important distinguish basic modes of stressing. As shown in above figure the three basic modes are: opening (mode 1) in-plane shear (Mode 2) and out-of-plane tearing (mode 3). A cracked body in reality can be loaded in any one of these three, or a combination of these three. As well as we have studied Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics ( LEFM ), and problems have been carried out on this criteria. Chapter three is plastic yielding at the crack tip, in real material very high elastic stresses in the vicinity of a crack tip exceed the yield strength of the materials because of this plastic yielding will occur. To determine the plastic zone at the crack tip a correction of LEFM theory according to the Irwin modal and the Dugdale modal is studied. Using these two corrections modals, the two failure criterion are also studied those are crack opening displacement (COD) and the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD). Finally we have compared which method is effective to find fracture. The chapter four is about the crack propagation in a structure. In these phenomena we have studied the energy flow and the formulation of the energy balance equation and the energy needed for the crack propagation. Here we have two main sources for the propagation one is the internal elastic strain energy stored in the loaded structure, and second is the work done due to the applied force. To formulate the energy balance equation, we have studied the Griffith

criterion. The concept of load control and the displacement control to calculate the internal elastic strain energy is developed to formulate the energy balance equation. Fracture criterion based on the energy release rate which is a function of crack length is studied to define e the strain energy. The chapter five is about the method of determining the stress intensity factor (K) for different modes of fracture. And in this chapter there are three methods has been described, out of these three methods energy method called as compliance method, the reciprocity method and the use of handbook method. In the energy method, the compliance of the structure is used. In the reciprocity method, the stress intensity factor for one loading if known, then for the other case the same stress intensity factor can be applied. Further we have studied the crack propagation under cyclic loading and the Paris law. Paris law is very useful relationship, because it covers the range of growth rates most useful in structures.