The

Strain Energy Release Rate

J.A. Pascoe, R.C. Alderliesten

Section 5.9 of Schijve’s book provides a (very) brief discussion of the strain energy release rate
(SERR). As this parameter plays a large role in the analysis of crack growth and residual strength of
adhesive bonds and composite materials, this reader provides some additional background on the
SERR.

Derivation of the strain energy release rate (SERR)

S

thickness t
P=SWt uncracked
H

elongation δ
Figure 1: Force-displacement diagram for an
uncracked plate

Consider a plate with width W and thickness t, loaded with a uniform stress S, as shown in Figure 1.
The strain energy, U, in this plate is given by

P = SWt
1 (1.1)
U = Pδ
2

If the plate is linear-elastic, we can relate the displacement and the force via the compliance C = δ/P
(note: this is the inverse of the stiffness of the plate).

Now imagine the same panel, but containing a crack. Due to the crack, the stiffness of the panel will
be lower, so at the same value of δ, both P and U will be lower. As the crack grows further, the
stiffness will continue to decrease (or, equivalently: the compliance will continue to increase) and
more and more strain energy will be released from the system. This is illustrated in Figure 2

1
 S

P=SWt thickness t
uncracked
H

crack length a
S
crack length a+∆a

∆U

elongation δ
Figure 2: Energy release as the crack
extends

As the crack extends from length a to length a+Δa, an amount of strain energy ΔU is released. Now
let’s take the limit for Δa --> 0, in other words, the amount of energy that will be released by an
infinitesimal increment of crack growth. We call this value the strain energy release rate (SERR),
usually denoted with the symbol G.

1 dU
G= (1.2)
t da

In other words, G is the derivative of the strain energy in the system with respect to the crack length.
We have to divide by the thickness t of the panel, because of course the thicker the panel, the more
energy will be released, and it is customary to express G for the case of a unit thickness specimen. By
dimensional analysis you find that the units of G are J/mm2; but N/mm or N/m is also often used.

To find dU/da for a generic plate, we take the derivative of the second line of equation 1.1:

dU d 1
= Pδ
da da 2
(1.3)
dU 1  dδ dP 
= P +δ 
da 2  da da 

2
To further solve this, we can apply some tricks: first let’s assume the load is being applied under
displacement control. In that case dδ/da = 0, because the elongation will only change when we move
the grips, not when the crack grows. Also, we can use the definition of compliance to get rid of the P
in the equation:

dU 1 dP
= δ
da 2 da
dU 1 d  δ 
= δ  
da 2 da  C 
(1.4)
dU δ 2 d  1 
=  
da 2 da  C 
dU 1  δ  dC
2

=  
da 2  C  da
If desired we can rewrite this last line as:

dU 1 2 dC
= P
da 2 da
2
(1.5)
P dC
G=
2t da

This is the generic equation you often see for the SERR. It works for any geometry (not just plates), as
long as the structure is linear elastic. Do note however that dC/da will be geometry dependant.
If you want to practise these concepts a bit more, you could try doing the derivation above, but for
the case of a specimen under force control. You should get to equation 1.5 again. (Hint: under force
control the force is constant, but the elongation is not).

Equivalence of SERR and SIF (background information, not required

for the exam)
On page 134, Schijve briefly states (equation 5.39):

dU K 2
=
da E'
E'= E plane stress
E
E'= plane strain
1 −ν 2

in other words, the SERR and SIF are related!

3
But where does this relationship come from? It was first formulated by Irwin [1]. Irwin considered
the case of a crack in a linear elastic material, as shown in Figure 3

-δa 0

Figure 3: Crack geometry considered by Irwin

Based on the definition of G, the amount of energy released when the crack grows from –δa to 0 is
equal to Gδa (assuming unit thickness of the material). Irwin proposed that this energy must be
equal to the amount of work that would be done by the forces1on the crack flanks to close the crack
again over the same distance.

With the Westergaard stress functions, the forces are given by

K
T ( x) =
2π (δ a + x )

and the displacement of a point along the crack flank is given by

2 −2 x
d ( x) = K
E' π
Assuming linear elasticity, and because there are two crack flanks, the work performed when closing
the crack is equal to T·d, for each point (x) along the crack. Therefore (skipping over the
mathematics):

0
Gδ a = ∫ td dx
−δ a

K2
G=
E'

showing that the SERR and the SIF are related.

1. Irwin, G.R., Analysis of stresses and strains near the end of a crack traversing a plate. ASME
Journal of Applied Mechanics, 1957. 24: p. 361-364.

1
Technically: the tractions, i.e. force on an infinitesimal area.