Using large system sizes with extensive statistical sampling, we analyze the scaling properties of crack roughness and damage profiles in the three-dimensional random fuse model. The analysis of damage profiles indicates that damage accumulates in a diffusive manner up to the peak load, and localization sets in abruptly at the peak load, starting from a uniform damage landscape. The global crac...

Analysis of toughness in 6156 Al-Mg-Si-Cu sheet has been performed using enhanced Kahn tear tests on samples quenched at different rates. Crack initiation energies were hardly affected by changing water quench temperature from 20°C to 60°C; however a significant reduction was evident on air cooling. Crack propagation energy was reduced for both 60°C water quenched and air cooled materials. Obse...

A new particle-based method, the material point method (MPM), has recently been extended to handle explicit cracks in a new algorithm called CRAMP or “CRAcks with Material Points.” This new method has several advantages for numerical work on fracture. Compared to finite element analysis, CRAMP can handle cracks with similar algorithmic efficiency, but is better at handling crack surface contact...

Article history: Received 5 July 2012 Received in revised form 25 September 2012 Accepted 29 September 2012 The fatigue crack growth of the nickel-based superalloy Haynes 230 was investigated at room temperature and 900 °C using digital image correlation (DIC). As expected, the crack growth rates at high temperature were much faster than at room temperature. However, the crack closure levels, w...

Concrete and cracking are nearly synonymous despite our best efforts and intentions. Relationships between cracking and the stress states that lead to cracking can be instructive. In an effort to better understand these relationships, X-ray microtomography was used to make high-resolution three-dimensional digital images of small concrete specimens under load. Using 3D image analysis, quantitat...

An analysis is presented for transient response of a mode-III interfacial crack propagating between two dissimilar piezoelectric half spaces. The dynamic fracture toughness of a piezoelectric interface is examined, which is a central issue related to the interface strength of multi-layered sensors and ferroelectric thin film devices. For the mode-III crack propagation in piezoelectric materials...

The fatigue crack growth behavior of a cracked and patch-repaired AA2024-T3 panel has been monitored by acoustic emission (AE). It was found that the overall crack growth rate was reduced and the crack propagation into the adjacent rivet hole was also retarded by introducing the patch repair. AE signals due to crack growth after the patch repair and those due to disbonding of the aluminum-patch...

The aim of the present paper is a systematic elaboration of a three dimensional finite element analysis tool for discontinuous fracture in brittle solids. Brittle or quasi-brittle fracture usually occurs when a material reaches the limit of its strength and no plastic deformation has been observed prior to failure. In this novel approach, this kind of failure is characterized by three sets of g...

The article presents a detailed comparison of two calculation models with Eurocode Standard guidelines. The stress has been put on defining the amount of reinforcement necessary to reduce the width of cracks resulting from imposed deformations in various ambient conditions. With the help of different approaches, the article presents the influence of the atmospheric factor on crack occurrence an...

Dynamic crack propagation drives catastrophic solid failures. In many amorphous brittle materials, sufficiently fast crack growth involves small-scale, high-frequency microcracking damage localized near the crack tip. The ultrafast dynamics of microcrack nucleation, growth, and coalescence is inaccessible experimentally and fast crack propagation was therefore studied only as a macroscale avera...